
Class 

Book. 

GojjyrightN . 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



MV TRIP 

TO EUROPE. 



r.v 



ANNA M. VOEGELIN. 



CENTRAL PUBLISHING HOUSE, 

1134—1138 PKAltL 8TKKKT, CLEVELAND, OHIO. 



6 



LIBRARY ot CONGRESS 
Two Copies Received 

NOV 18 1905 

. Copyright Entry 

CLASS a XXc, No, 

COPY B. 



Copyrighted 1905. 



INTRODUCTION. 

IT was my good fortune in the summer of 1903 to be in 
position to take a trip to Europe. On my return 
some of my friends asked me to draw up an account of 
my travels, which I tried doing in the form of the following 
little sketch. I have not even tried going into details 
over every stopping place and have avoided as much as 
possible stating dry facts, but have rather sifted my notes 
and taken out what I thought would interest you most. 

I am not fit to make this an educational study, but 
have only made a somewhat clumsy attempt to give back 
my own personal impressions, sometimes weaving in very 
unimportant occurrences, which to me however, seemed 
amusing, and I sincerely hope will appeal to you in the 
same sense. 

Let me just add that I travelled with a touring party 
(Cook's) having a conductor whose duty it was to escort 
us from place to place, attend to our baggage, pay all our 
bills, even the tips given to waiters etc., and attend to our 
general comfort. It was a decidedly convenient way to 
travel and saved us much annoyance. At each city we 
were also given a local guide who showed us the principal 



points of interest connected with the place and gave us 
such information as we desired concerning it. 

I need not assure you that I had a most interesting as 
well as instructive trip, and desired, if even for myself, 
to condense it into some form for future reference. I 
had not the remotest idea, when I began my account to 
put it into print, but was gradually encouraged to do so 
by my friends and if I succeed, even in a small way to 
arouse your interest I shall feel amply repaid. Perhaps 
the fact, that this is not an imaginary happening, but an 
actual occurrence, will add to its interest. As far as my 
own personal experience goes every word is true, and the 
remaining facts I give back as I received them. 

Anna M. Voegelin. 
Germantown, Philadelphia, March, 1905. 



CHAPTER I. 
DEPARTURE AND ARRIVAL. ENGLAND. 

n a beautiful evening in the early part of 
June our trip to Europe began. Sitting 
in one of the luxurious parlor cars of a 
New York express, we at last enjoyed a few quiet 
moments after the preceding days of bustle and ex- 
citement. When the porter, after busying around, 
even placed a velvet cushion under my feet I was 
wishing that travel on the other side was as con- 
venient, but I knew it was not. No place like 
America for travelling. The sun took a last peek- 
a-boo look at us from the distant hill tops when we 
neared New York. Philadelphia is considered slow 
in comparison with New York but one of the first 
things we saw on arriving, was a horse-car plough- 
ing along the street. 

We at last reached the steamer which we were 
allowed to board the night before and spend a 
farewell hour on its deck, feeling the seriousness of 
parting. Next morning early everyone was astir. 
We had not been on deck very long, before we saw 
the familiar form of the remaining member of our 



MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 



family on shore, who waved to us. It seemed as 
if there would be no end of people boarding the 
ship. At last the gangways were put up and slowly 
the gigantic ship began to move while hundreds of 
people on shore shouted farewells and about as 
many American flags were waved. Two schooners 
accompanied us for some distance with the people 
cheering and waving and now and then, boom ! went 
a cannon. On shore a man who had climbed above 
the crowd was still waving his hat and throwing 
kisses to two passengers at the railing who were 
trying hard to control their feelings. 

The first day on the Ocean was lovely, in fact 
the sea was calm and smooth throughout the week, 
sometimes without even a ripple. It was nearly 
noon when we had breakfast, but strange to say 
not everyone was hungry. Quite a number were 
up on the deck looking into the waves with a very 
melancholy expression on their faces and sometimes 
they would lean over the railing a little further and 
— well, can you guess the rest? Others ate lemons 
or drank something stronger than ice water to keep 
their stomachs down. Walking must have been 
considered good by some who hurried along at a 
frantic pace, when suddenly they would swerve 
around and quickly disappear in the door-way, 
ashamed to let others know they were getting sick. 
I did not feel a bit queer myself, but by evening all 



DEPARTURE AND ARRIVAL. ENGLAND. J 

three ladies in my state-room were sick, and I had 
my hands full ringing the bell and summoning aid. 

The next day was Sunday. There was a 
service in the morning, which consisted of the 
speaker reading from some form of worship while 
the audience responded, but it did not seem a bit 
like Sunday until the evening, when some of us 
started to sing hymns out on the deck. A steamer 
passed in the early part of the evening and both 
ships lowered their flags in greeting. 

The third day on the water began with a drizz- 
ling rain but this did not continue all day. It was 
rather cold and we needed our steamer rugs and 
furs for the first time on the voyage. We tried 
walking to keep warm, but this is not so easily 
accomplished as on land. One minute you seem 
to be laboring up a hill, and the next you find your- 
self suddenly running down one, and this with a 
smooth sea. The only place it foamed was in the 
back of the ship by the screw which lashed the 
water into a beautiful pale blue spray. There were 
still many sick, some to the end of the voyage. One 
evening when I went in to supper I found myself 
the only female representative at the table, while 
out of eighteen only three gentlemen were present, 
and the waiter smilingly remarked that I "still 
looked as fine as silk". I continued to report pres- 



8 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 



ent for the remainder of the trip, which came to an 
end the following Saturday. 

We sighted land on Friday and passed the 
Kinsale Light-house. The sea-gulls began to make 
their appearance and soon hundreds of them were 
flying after our ship and looked very pretty against 
the sky. After being between heaven and the water 
for a number of days it is with a thrill of pleasure 
that one watches the first signs of land appearing. 

As we neared the Emerald Isle we could dis- 
tinguish beautiful green fields on the slope. These 
gave color to the water and formed a pretty con- 
trast to the purplish hills beyond. In the after- 
noon the passengers for Queenstown left in a tug, 
after which the machinery again went at full speed. 

Saturday morning all was bustle and excite- 
ment. Everyone was anxious to get on land, es- 
pecially the sea-sick passengers, who appeared in 
full force and looking very happy. 

At Liverpool the first thing to do was to make 
for our baggage, which had to be examined. After 
this was done I started out to look for the party I 
was to join. At last I found a Cook's man who 
piloted me around to where "Tour 26" was forming. 
I was shown to the conductor, a tall broad should- 
ered fellow, who looked as if he could take care of 
a few more beside himself. 



DEPARTURE AND ARRIVAL. ENGLAND. 



After he had "clucked" us all together he 
started off and we followed in his footsteps. Our 
baggage was being collected and here it was found 
that my trunk and Aunt's by some mistake had 
already been put on the first train and were steam- 
ing off to the wrong station. This was annoying, 
but we were told they would easily be found. We 
still had time before our train left, so we started to 
see a little of Liverpool, walking around in this, for 
us a new world with strange people and strange 
customs. 

We left for London by special train. It was a 
lovely ride past green hills and valleys where cows, 
and many sheep were grazing. Once we passed 
a most picturesque church on the side of a slope 
and when I looked to the opposite side a little later, 
I saw, guess what — a sign in the fields which read 
"Heintz's Baked Beans With Tomato Sauce" and 
further on "Heintz's 57 Varieties", "Quaker Oats" 
and several other American looking signs. 

On arriving at London the guide immediately 
hailed a "cabby", gave him instructions, put me in 
the hansom and sent me afloat in the great city of 
London on a hunt for my trunk, which I found 
without any difficulty at the Euston Station. He 
in the mean time was taking his flock to the hotel, 
where I arrived somewhat later, and rather tired. 
I was directly shown to my room, with which I 



IO MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

was indeed pleased, it having the cosiest looking fire- 
place, and every imaginable convenience. 

After supper my Aunt and I again stepped 
into a hansom for Liverpool St. Station, from 
which place she was to start on her journey for 
Schaffhausen, Switzerland. It was a little hard to 
part, she travelling alone, and I left back with 
strangers, but we tried to brave it as best we could. 

At last the train pulled out and with a heavy 
heart I turned to go back. I summoned a hansom 
and after telling the driver "St. Ermines", drove 
along the Thames through London now brilliant 
with lights. I could not help enjoying my ride 
despite my misgivings. These London hansoms 
are a pleasant means of conveyance, rubber tired, 
seats ever so comfortable, and with nothing to ob- 
struct the view, the driver being in back of the 
vehicle. 

After arriving at the hotel I went straight to 
rest notwithstanding the fact that the orchestra 
downstairs was rendering some delightful music. 

The bells were pealing for church next morn- 
ing when I awoke, but I must confess I did not get 
to any service. When I walked out on the piazza 
after breakfast the guide met me, and said, that 
although there was no programme for the day and 
he was free, he had just suggested taking a few of 



DEPARTURE AND ARRIVAL. ENGLAND. II 



the party for a walk to Hyde Park and if I cared 
to go along to get ready. 

I had really wanted to go to church and when 
I mentioned it, one of the gentlemen said "I am 
afraid we have left church in the United States, 
for although I am a church member and go regu- 
larly when at home, my chief aim now is to see all 
I can of the place I am in, especially as the time 
in each stay is so short". And so it was, although 
I went through numerous churches and cathedrals, 
I attended few services. 

We started for the Park passing the Bucking- 
ham Palace, the Duke of Wellington's House, and 
crossed the famous Piccadilly Street on our way. 

Hyde Park was beautiful with flowers, and 
alive with people, some were of London's most 
fashionable set. We were shown the Rotten Row 
which begins at Hyde Park Corner and where the 
Royalty go horse-back riding. After an enjoyable 
walk we strolled homeward, keeping a watchful 
eye on the guide ahead. If he swerved to the 
right, or left, we immediately did the same, and if 
he preferred walking in the street, we unconscious- 
ly followed suit. After we left London we saw 
much of this walking in the street, but it was not 
surprising, for in some places the pavements were 
so narrow that a person with unusually broad feet 



12 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

could not very comfortably place one beside the 
other. 

On the evening of this day I attempted a little 
walk by myself taking good care to note the corners 
I turned, and passed in full view of Westminster 
Abbey, arriving at the hotel unmolested. I had 
already lost some of the fear I had of this great 
place, for every one seemed very courteous and 
the policemen gave information cheertully on all 
points. I was amused at the hats these guards 
of the peace wore, which had a strap coming under 
their mouth and made me wonder how they could 
yawn without displacing their head gear. 

We were told to be ready next morning at 
nine o'clock for the day's programme. At the 
appointed hour we drove off with an English guide 
who knew London as his pocket, but he was a very 
decided old gentleman, and if any were talking 
while he explained he would stop short and only 
continue when all were listening. 

Some of the places we saw that day were 
Newgate Prison where William Penn and others 
were confined, the historical Bow Church, St. Paul's 
Cathedral which has a whispering gallery. If one 
whispers in that gallery a loud voice is heard op- 
posite. 

Some of the streets have odd names, such as 



DEPARTURE AND ARRIVAL. ENGLAND. 1 3 

Threadneedle St., Bird Cage Walk, Cheapside 
which is a very busy street, and from which runs 
Bread St., where Milton was born, and Milk St., 
where Sir Thomas Moore was born. Pall Mall 
is a splendid street, which our guide as an English- 
man called something like "Pell Mell". 

We passed along the Victoria Embankment, 
and over London Bridge which by the way, is not 
"falling down," although the traffic is so heavy 
that they are building a new bridge to relieve this 
one. We also passed over the beautiful Tower 
Bridge to the Tower, which is historically the most 
interesting spot in England. It is really a series of 
towers, weird looking structures and was the scene 
of many a gruesome incident. 

Before entering we had to check all parcels, 
umbrellas, even to the purse bags we carried in our 
hands, which the man declared were safest with 
him. I do not know whether they were afraid of 
Anarchists, or whether this was done to prevent 
people from robbing each other, for we passed up 
more than one dark, dismal stairway where we 
could not see who was before or after us and had 
to grope along with a rope in our hands to guide 
us. 

In the recess of a dark stone steps was shown 
to us the very spot where the children of Edward 



14 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

VI. were found dead. They had been strangled 
by their own uncle, and their lifeless bodies thrown 
down from the top of the stairs. This was called 
the Bloody Tower. Near the Brick Tower is a 
stone which marks the place where Lady Jane Grey 
was executed. The White Tower has turreted 
walls twelve feet thick. I remember standing in 
one of the cells near a little window with the day- 
light twelve feet away from me and only dimly 
lighting the compartment. 

In the Queen Elizabeth Armory the walls and 
ceiling are decorated with the weapons of that age, 
and arranged beautifully in figures and flowers. 
One that especially impressed me was an exquisitely 
shaped sun flower made from swords, the blades 
forming the petals. 

In the Jewel House were the jewels valued at 
15,000,000. Among these were the crowns, and a 
wonderful saphire and ruby, the royal sceptre, etc. 

We also visited the National gallery where 
some of the most famous pictures in the world are 
exhibited. Among countless other things, we 
viewed the famous Portland Vase, which was taken 
from Rome. One day a madman came in and 
shattered this vase to pieces, but it has been put to- 
gether again so skilfully that no one would think 



DEPARTURE AND ARRIVAL.— ENGLAND. 1 5 

it had ever been broken. The English are proud of 
this and would not part with the vase. 

The Parliament buildings are beautiful and so 
is the Abbey, despite the fact that everything has 
a sooty appearance, but which only seems to add to 
its dignity. The frequent heavy fogs, which are 
the cause of this are something we entirely missed. 
We had been in London almost a week and never 
witnessed a fog, for although cool at first, we had 
fine clear weather every day. 

The Abbey, world renowned as England's Tem- 
ple of Fame, is crowded with monuments of kings, 
heroes and scholars. The Poets' corner contains 
many inscriptions. Longfellow seems to be a fav- 
orite, as his bust was always decorated with flowers. 

Lady Nightingale's monument is really to her 
husband, and is the last work of a noted sculptor. 
It consists of the skeleton figure of death, who has 
burst open the door of the sepulcher and is aiming 
his dart at Lady Nightingale, while she shrinks 
back into the arms of her horror-stricken husband, 
who is vainly trying to defend her. It looks 
strangely real, and it is said that a robber coming 
into the Abbey by moonlight was so startled by the 
figure of death as to have fled in dismay, leaving 
his crowbar on the pavement. 

We also viewed the Coronation Chair which is 



1 6 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 



quite old looking, but is covered with a cloth of 
gold at coronations. In it is enclosed the famous 
Prophetic Stone. The legend of the stone relates 
that it was the pillow on which Jacob slept at 
Bethel, but I cannot vouch for the truth of this 
statement. One visit to the Abbey is not satis- 
factory. I went several times, also attending a 
service. The choir consisted of young boys gowned 
in white robes, and when their wonderfully sweet 
voices re-echoed through the Abbey and blended 
with the magnificent organ above, even the marble 
statues around would seem to watch and listen. 

We had been provided on two days with a 
local guide, and on the second afternoon wound up 
our sight-seeing with a visit to Lincoln's Inn and 
the Old Curiosity Shop immortalized by Dickens. 
We all alighted and crowded into the little place 
which was hardly large enough to hold the twenty, 
of which our party consisted, and the gentlemen 
kept stepping on the ladies' trains and we walked 
over each others toes in our endeavors to look at 
the display of little trinkets and souvenirs of all 
kinds. At last our guide beckoned and the tangled 
snarl of Cook's party began to unwind and thread 
its way out of the door. 

This ended our regular programme and we 
were left to use the rest of our time as we pleased, 



DEPARTURE AND ARRIVAL. ENGLAND. 1 7 

but by this time we had been given a fair insight 
and began to look about for ourselves. 

We took regretful leave of the nice old man 
who had been our guide around London and whom 
I met unexpectedly almost three months later at the 
end of my journey. 

On the evening of this day some half dozen of 
us went to Whitechapel, which is the slum district 
of London, and reputed to be a favorite haunt for 
thieves and murderers, but we did not find it as bad 
as we expected. 

One of the ladies of our party was interested in 
Charity work, and asked me to go along, and we 
were not afraid, as the rest of our number consisted 
of gentlemen protectors. It may be that we did 
not probe deep enough, or that Whitechapel is liv- 
ing on past reputation. At any rate we encount- 
ered nothing unusual and in the dark street into 
which we did go, we saw peaceful looking houses, 
some of them cheerfully lighted. I was quite satis- 
fied not to have seen the worst of this place, and we 
soon wended our steps toward the main street. 

I had enjoyed the ride out very much on the 
top of the bus. These busses are the main trans- 
port of London besides railway, elevated and under- 
ground. They are two-story affairs, the roof is 
preferable, for you can view London from a high 



MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 



standpoint and out of all the bustling crowd. They 
are just crammed with advertisements inside and 
out, and when you try to look for the sign-board 
you find yourself reading "Sapolio", "Nestles Food", 
'Tears Soap", etc., until at last way down almost 
out of sight you find what you are looking for in 
small letters. 

They have very short stops and the girls think- 
nothing of jumping on while the bus is goins:. I 
learned to do it myself, and to climb the narrow 
winding steps to the top of the swaying vehicle 
without much trouble. 

That night when we went home we were 
obliged to take the inside of the bus as the top was 
full. A rather wicked looking man stepped in 
with us and I could not help watching him, as he 
seemed to have something in his hand which he kept 
out of sight. I had visions of revolvers and stilet- 
toes in my mind and when he alighted — I saw him 
put a cigar to his lips. 

Next morning almost everybody went out 
shopping. In the afternoon five of our party went 
to the South Kensington Museum. We went by 
underground railway and were laughing and talk- 
ing when it dawned on us where to get off, after the 
train had already halted some time. A stranger 
overhearing us said "This is the Station". All 



DEPARTURE AND ARRIVAL. ENGLA ND. 1 9 

sprang up and one of the gentlemen rushed for the 
door, but it would not give way and we pushed 
after. He then frantically waved his unbrella at a 
conductor outside and when the door opened five 
flew out almost at once, the first man with a leap 
that sent his coat-tails flying, and scarcely had my 
heels left the stepping board when the train moved 
on. The whole affair had been so ludicrous, that 
we all sat down on a bench and gave vent to our 
mirth. 

We found the Museum without further diffi- 
culties and saw more beautiful paintings, statues, 
wood-carving, fine laces, china, etc. We went 
home by bus and stopped off for a stroll in Hyde 
Park, which was crowded with people in carriages 
and on foot. 

We inquired for the cause of such great crowds 
and were told that the people were watching for the 
Queen, who was probably out driving. We con- 
cluded to wait also, and after some time the guard 
told us where to stand, when the carriage was al- 
ready sighted in the distance. 

We were agreeably surprised to see the King 
as well as the Queen, and the Duchess of Teck. 
We had a near and good view of them and went 
home feeling rather proud of our afternoon's ex- 
perience. 



20 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 



At the table we excited the envy of the rest 
by the news, and the following day they went there 
also, but with unsatisfactory results. 

On the evening of this day we went to see 
Madam Tussand's wax figures, which were very 
interesting and stood around in life-like attitudes, 
We saw representations of McKinley, Roosevelt, 
Queen Victoria, King Edward, and many others. 

There were two young women in white aprons 
and caps sitting at tables selling catalogues; one 
was alive, the other a wax figure. A gentleman 
from our party walked up to the wax figure and 
demanded a catalogue. She did not stir, and look- 
ing around we saw our conductor who had come 
with us laughing and soon we all knew the joke. 

A little later one of the wax figures in uniform 
attracted my attention. I placed myself in front of 
it exclaiming "This fellow is especially good and 
lifelike." The others stepped nearer and all gave 
their opinion, one man saying jokingly to the figure, 
"How would you like to speak to us." When we 
turned to go I could not help glancing back — but 
what was my surprise to see the figure move, and 
smile a very satisfied smile at me. I called in sur- 
prise, which immediately brought back the others, 
and we could not but congratulate the man on his 
good acting. He proved to be very accommodating 
and went along with us explaining all the figures. 



DEPARTURE AND ARRIVAL. — ENGLAND. 21 



Going home we took the underground railway, 
and were not going to be as slow as in the after- 
noon, almost tumbling into the train in our hurry, 
when the conductor came along and said "wrong 
train, must get out". At last we were seated in the 
right one, but only went a short distance when some 
thought it time to alight. We of the afternoon 
party had become cautious, or perhaps nervous from 
our experience, and when we were preparing to 
get out, our guide rushed at us from another com- 
partment, saying, "Back in, four stations more", 
at which we dropped back laughing. 

The next day was an ideal one. We were to 
leave London for Antwerp, but not until night, and 
we spent the day in various ways. We left about 
half past eight P. M., arriving at Harwich at ten 
o'clock, from whence we were to cross the English 
Channel. 

As there are sometimes great crowds we were 
a little uneasy as to our accommodations, but fortun- 
ately there was no rush that day, and instead of 
sharing a stateroom with several others as I had 
anticipated, I had one room-mate of my own choice. 

The night was lovely and my companion per- 
suaded me to accompany her on deck for a while. 
There was a rumor that our trunks had not arrived 
in time to go on board, so we immediately went to 



22 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

the guide, who was already surrounded, and being- 
plied with questions, "Mr. F. is my trunk here" 
was being asked for about the twentieth time. At 
last he raised his arm and pointed toward the fore- 
part of the boat, saying, "You will find all your 
trunks over there." 

We immediately formed in line and all went 
over, leaving him behind laughing. No won- 
der, for when we reached the place everything was 
covered with heavy canvas, and nothing remained 
but to hope that our trunks were under its covering. 
It was getting late, however, and we went down to 
rest. 



CHAPTER II. 
BELGIUM, HOLLAND, AND GERMANY. 



I he next morning most of us wore on deck 
early. The sun had arisen and was shining 
over a sheet of water almost without a 
ripple. The air was fresh and exhilarating and we 
thoroughly enjoyed strolling around the ship. Grad- 
ually the land on either side became more and more 
distinct, looking very green and pretty, and when we 
arrived at the mouth of the Scheldt River there 
were numberless ships ahead of us. 

After our baggage was examined we landed 
and proceeded to the hotel. On our way we passed 
the flower market, which was in a square opposite 
the Cathedral. It just happened to be flower-day 
and the market was crowded with blossoms of every 
color and description and the bells of the Cathedral 
were ringing in honor of the celebration. 

We visited the Museum which is the best in 
Belgium; and also the cathedral previously men- 
tioned, which is very large and has some rare 
windows. The organ is the fifth largest in the 
world. 



24 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 



We left by the three o'clock train for Brussels, 
which is one hour distant, and again saw celebrated 
masterpieces in the Cathedral there. 

Brussels is an interesting place, clean and full 
of life. Until late at night bands and parades 
would pass the hotel playing military airs, and it 
seemed as if the people never went to sleep. 

While there, we visited the Town Hall and the 
Palace of Justice. The lawyers walked around in 
long gowns, with white tipped scarfs. In this 
building were also beautiful tapestries, and from 
one of the balconies which commanded a view of 
Brussels and the surrounding country, we feasted 
our eyes on the pretty scene. 

After stopping at the cathedral we went on to 
Wiertz's Museum, in which we saw many noted 
paintings. When we alighted from our carriages 
a delicious odor of pine trees greeted us from the 
pretty garden on one side of the building. 

From here we drove to the factory where 
Brussels lace is made. We saw the girls at work 
and the meshes of exquisite net forming under their 
skillful fingers. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent driving in 
the most beautiful park of that delightful city, and 
to me this was the finest treat so far. 

The weather was perfect, and there was such 



BELGIUM, HO LLAND AND GERMANY. 2j> 

a variety of beautiful trees, with the silvery sheen 
of a lake glistening between them, and visions of 
boats with their rowers now and then appearing. 
When we came to an open place of green another 
pretty sight met our eyes. About a hundred white 
sheep were grazing, the shepherd to one side leaning 
on his staff, while the shepherd's dog made his 
rounds about the group in a business like manner, 
which formed a strikingly pretty picture. 

At a romantic place in the park was shown to 
us the spot where Princess Chimay met her Gypsy 
lover. There is a restaurant near and we sat down 
among the trees to have some refreshments and to 
listen to the band which played on the same pavilion 
from which a dark eyed gypsy charmed a princess 
with the strains of his violin. From this place we 
had a delightful drive home. 

The stores or shops as they say here, are open 
Sunday mornings, and I am afraid if the matter of 
shopping on Sunday were investigated, many 
Americans would be found guilty. 

In America dogs are kept as pets, here they 
are seen harnessed to small milk carts, the women 
peddling the milk. 

Women also carry the "News"; (they are fond 
of this it is said), and can frequently be heard at 
the street corners, calling in a loud voice the names 
of their various papers. 



26 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

Monday morning we started for the Hague, 
passing through lowlands picturesquely dotted with 
cattle and wind-mills, and after crossing the Zuyder 
Zee we began to look for our stopping place. This 
is a quaint but charming city. Some of the women 
wear an odd head dress, which must be anything 
but comfortable. It consists generally of metal 
plates, sometimes gold, worn over the back of the 
head and covered with lace caps, and an ornament 
in front of the ears which projects forward. We 
could not help but watch these wooden shoed in- 
habitants, and they in turn stared at us in wonder. 

We arrived at the Hotel a half hour before 
dinner and were shown to our rooms. I was de- 
lighted with mine, which was a typical Dutch room, 
red prevailing, and its windows faced the Park or 
Woods opposite, where deer were grazing on the 
green, and streams trailed among the lovely trees. 

We visited the Museum here, and among other 
paintings saw Paul Potter's famous Bull, and Rem- 
brandt's School of Anatomy, which gave us the 
shivers, for it keeps one in constant mind of the 
operating table. 

Queen Wilhelmina's palace was also visited, 
and was well worth it, although when we first 
stepped into the hall downstairs we thought it rather 
bleak looking, but soon changed our minds when 
we stepped into her apartments. We were told that 



BELGIUM, HOLLAND AND GERMANY. 27 



it had not been built for a palace, but had originally 
been used as a state house, and then we understood 
why the hall did not look palatial. 

We lived in extremes on this day, for, from the 
palace we went to what had once been a Spanish 
prison, where in dark weird cells terrible instru- 
ments of torture had been used in days gone by. 
In one of the cells, called "John the Beggar's", who 
was a priest, we viewd by a faint flickering light, 
figures he had traced on the walls with his own 
life's blood. In another cell was shown to us a 
rack, on which a woman had been tortured, and here 
we again shuddering viewed the opposite wall, 
where her tormentors had marked the event with 
bloody ink. In the starving chamber, the prisoners 
could see from their window, the kitchen opposite, 
where savory things were cooked, the odors of 
which came up to them, dying of hunger. 

When we emerged from those dungeons into 
the cheerful daylight once more, we felt thankful 
that we were living in a more civilized age, which 
has discarded such terrors. 

From here we took a trip to Scheveningen — 
Yes — I know it is a "jaw breaker". This is a 
fashionable Dutch sea-shore resort, where the 
Queen herself stays at times. 

Down on the beach the sand was thickly cov- 
ered with chairs, which looked like so many huge 



28 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

sunbonnets. It is a pretty place and full of life. 
We met some women with wooden yokes upon their 
shoulders, from which dangled baskets of delicious 
fruit, for which they charged enormous prices to us 
"Americanas". 

After listening to the music we strolled toward 
the meeting place, and two of us sat on some chairs 
along the board-walk. Presently a shabby old fel- 
low came up and demanded money which we re- 
fused to give, thinking him a beggar, But we soon 
understood we were to pay for the seats which had 
been used about a minute. We again refused, upon 
which he became very ugly so that some of our 
party standing near were attracted by his excited 
manner and came toward us. One young man was 
about to punish the fellow with a heavy cane which 
he carried, when the others interfered. I told the 
man I would see our guide about it before paying 
but when his tall form appeared in the distance, our 
would-be collector suddenly disappeared and troub- 
led us no more, and we returned to the Hague with- 
out further trouble. 

Next morning we started for Amsterdam, 
which is called the Venice of the North, as it is 
intersected by numerous canals. Most every street 
is a water-way, although there is room for horses 
and people on the side. 

Again we went through a museum, and an- 



BELGIUM, HOLLAND AND GERMANY. 29 

other of the Queen's palaces, which was very pretty 
and in which we saw her throne. 

The Zoo was also visited and I remember best 
the Avenue where many poll-parrots were caged 
on either side under the trees, and which made ear- 
splitting noises. 

We also saw how diamonds are cut and were 
shown through the different phases of this work, 
which is very tedious. 

We left Amsterdam in the morning, arriving at 
Cologne at three. We only stayed at the hotel 
long enough to see our rooms and our baggage, 
and away we all started for the Cathedral, which 
is a grand Gothic building with interesting interior, 
but I am afraid I did not hear all the details of our 
interpreter's explanation, for my thoughts had wan- 
dered and I was dreaming of that pretty little rom- 
ance, "The First Violin", by Jesse Fothergill, and 
which began, so to speak, in this wonderful "Dom" 
under the strains of the Messiah. 

This church was begun in the twelfth century, 
but it took many years to complete it, as the work 
was not continuous, and at one time the French 
troops used it for a hay magazine. There are some 
ancient stained windows here, as well as modern 
frescoes, and seven wonderful chapels. I was told 
it took twelve men with clasped hands to span one 
of the vast columns inside this Cathedral. 



30 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

The Church of St. Ursula was next visited in 
which is the tomb of that unhappy princess, who 
with her 11,000 virgin companions was massacred 
at Cologne, on her return from Rome, and whose 
bones can be seen encased in the walls of the church. 
Everywhere we looked skulls grinned at us, and it 
seemed as though the inner walls of the church 
consisted of human remains. 

The evening of this day was spent in the usual 
way when there was no special arrangement, name- 
ly, in trying to see as much of the town and shops 
as we could, and if our footsteps could have been 
traced they would have formed a series of festoons, 
for, when leaving the hotel, we would begin with 
the first shop window, viewing its contents and ex- 
changing our opinions, then in a little semi-circle 
proceed to the next, and so on, conscientiously care- 
ful not to miss a shop, stopping occasionally to treat 
the inner side of a store likewise. If the proprie- 
tor spoke our language we usually secured what we 
wanted, but if not, we resorted to gesticulations, 
which habit we soon learned from the natives, es- 
pecially in Italy, and after going through a series 
of gymnastics we sometimes managed to throw 
light on the subject, often to the amusement of all 
parties concerned. 

Next morning we left Cologne but not until 



BELGIUM, HOLLAND AND GERMANY. 31 

most of us had secured at least one sample of the 
celebrated Farina Eau de Cologne. 

We left by steamer to go up the Rhine as far 
as Biebrich. The day was perfect. Indeed we 
could not have wished for lovlier weather. The 
Rhine abounds in legends, and to one who is ac- 
quainted with them all, it adds to the romance of the 
place, but the scenery alone is never to be forgotten. 

In some places the banks were high and rocky, 
in others they formed in vine clad slopes, but every- 
where could be seen picturesque castles, both mod- 
ern and in ruins, celebrated in history, legend and 
song. 

A few of the places we passed were the Drach- 
enfels, which is very high ; the ruined castle of 
Rolandseck ; the Island of Nonnenwerth, where 
stands an old convent in which the beautiful Hilde- 
gard is said to have taken the veil when she heard 
that Roland had perished. 

Ehrenbreitstein is a vast fortress which at one 
time was supplied with food, clothing, etc. for 
10,000 men for a space of five years, which was a 
great undertaking considering the height of the 
rock. 

Stolzenfels Castle belongs to the Emperor of 
Germany, and commands a magnificent view. Marx- 
burg is another imposing castle and dates back to 
1400, but is still uninjured and inhabited. 



32 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

We also passed the Blucher Statue, which 
marks the place where he crossed the Rhine. 

What interested me most, however, and what 
I had been watching for with great pleasure was the 
Lorely Rock, the legend of which I had learned in 
my early childhood. It is a very high precipice 
rising over whirlpools in the deepest and narrow- 
est part of the Rhine, and the fabled seat of the 
beautiful Lorely, who with her enchanting songs, 
lures sailors on to death. It is a beautiful but 
dangerous part of the Rhine and our ship was 
obliged to have two pilots and slow her pace to pass 
through this place with double caution. This 
seemed to make the legend of the Lorely quite real 
and we almost imagined we could hear her singing. 

Farther up we passed the Mouse Tower, where, 
according to legend, a cruel Bishop was devoured 
alive by mice after he had caused a number of fam- 
ine stricken peasants to be burned to death. 

Not very far from here is Bingen nestling amid 
charming scenery and makes one think of that lit- 
tle song "Bingen on the Rhine". 

We saw all these places in their fullest beauty, 
because of the perfect weather and everyone seemed 
to feel in good spirits, (perhaps some of the cele- 
brated Rhine wine which flowed at the table helped 
to induce this,) at any rate the bluest of blues took 
wings in this day. 



BELGIUM, HOLLAND AND GERMANY. 33 



We landed at Biebrich at nine in the evening 
and proceeded by railway to Wiesbaden where we 
stopped for the night, but not before we had taken 
a walk around the town, knowing we would leave 
early in the morning. 

We started for Berlin next day travelling most 
of the time past beautiful scenery and arrived in 
the evening at five o'clock. The day had been warm 
and the soot and dust came in through the open 
windows that by night we all looked like a band of 
miners, especially the men who had been in the 
smoker all day, and whom we greeted with shouts 
of laughter. 

Berlin is often called the city of palaces and 
indeed it is rightly named. Not only are the palac- 
es beautiful which line the magnificent avenue 
"Unter den Linden", but the buildings in general 
abound in artistic work and statuary. Almost 
everywhere beautiful groups, monuments and col- 
umns greet the eye, indeed in my opinion Berlin is 
far more attractive than Paris. 

Our hotel was not far from the "Branden- 
burger Thor", which is beautiful, crowned by a 
fine statue of Victory with horses. 

The Emperor's Palace was first visited, which 
is an enormous structure, containing six hundred 
rooms, but we were only shown a few of them. 
What we saw, however, was magnificent. We 

3 



34 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

went through the Ballroom, the chandeliers of which 
attracted my attention, and in one room was a sort 
of dome in the ceiling and our guide called for at- 
tention as he stationed himself in a certain place 
under the dome, telling us to listen. He called, 
"Ho" and immediately an echo above responded and 
repeated itself thirty-three times, until we uncon- 
sciously all raised our heads in wonder. Several 
times he awakened that wonderful echo, and we 
tried doing the same, but failed until he led us to 
the spot where he was standing. Naturally every- 
one would like to have tried it, but time forbid, and 
we regretfully left this interesting spot. 

The Picture Gallery contained some rare paint- 
ings and the Royal Chapel was splendidly frescoed. 

We next entered the White Saloon, which is 
an apartment entirely furnished in marble, at an 
enormous cost. At the doorway was a box filled 
to the top with large felt slippers, the German kind, 
with just the sole and forepart minus the heel. Into 
these we were asked to step and slide along to pre- 
vent our shoes from injuring the costly floor. T 
went to the man and asked for a small size and he 
handed me a pair which looked about a foot and .a 
half long. At first we tried to walk in them but 
stepped right out and found that by sliding we 
could keep them under our feet. What fun we had 
in this room. I stepped in back of them all to get 



BELGIUM, HOLLAND AND GERMANY. 35 

the full benefit of the scene. To see our whole 
party silently sliding along, each with a pair of canal 
boats for a foundation, and trying to see all there 
was, and to keep their feet properly shod, was in- 
deed an amusing sight. One of the gentlemen be- 
came absorbed looking at an object and in thought 
stepped out of his slippers, when a few called out, 
and with a frantic jump he returned to them. This 
happened to several and one other, a very studious 
man, lost one and went sliding along on the one 
foot and walking with the other, until we awoke 
his attention to the fact, when he quickly secured the 
other. This was on the memorial Fourth-of-July, 
which we celebrated as best we could, of course 
not with fireworks. Our carriages were adorned 
with a German flag on one side and an American on 
the other, and as we rode through Berlin quite a 
number of people, who must have been Americans, 
catching sight of the Stars and Stripes, stopped and 
waved to us, or raised their hats and hailed us upon 
which we responded in due form. 

In the evening the hotel people had prepared 
a pretty surprise for us. Our table was decorated 
with American flags and red, white and blue flowers 
and every lady was presented with a beautiful bunch 
of roses and maiden hair fern. When, at the end 
of the meal some one went to the piano and played 
Yankee Doodle, every one sprang up, handkerchiefs 



36 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

were waved amid cheers and hurrahs, and we all 
standing joined in singing My Country, Tis of Thee. 
The others looked on in amusement, and the Ameri- 
can guests came and greeted us like old friends. 

There was no official programme for the next 
day, but a few of us had arranged to go out to Pots- 
dam to see the Palace and Gardens of Sanssouci and 
at the appointed hour our Berlin guide called for us 
at the hotel. He was an original, with a face on 
which good nature and cunning kept playing hide- 
and-seek, large round blue eyes and red cheeks, 
His short figure was adorned with a long swallow- 
tail coat and the band around his hat was a very 
bright red, while a tie of the same color encircled 
his neck. This, together with some of his English 
which to call funny would be putting it mild, helped 
us to enjoy his jokes all the more. Hardly had we 
been seated in a coupe of the train when a conductor 
came and in a gruff voice told the men to depart, as 
the place was exclusively for ladies. We told the 
conductor that we did not at all object to the gentle- 
men, and they in turn declared to stay by us, but 
our guide whispered "shust vait a leedle", and going 
out we all followed. The next ladies' coupe was 
also empty and after waiting some time our guide 
suddenly beckoned to us, telling us to hurry into 
coupe and just as he followed after and slammed 
the door the train set in motion. He said he knew 



BELGIUM, HOLLAN D AND GERMANY. 37 

the conductor would not be around until Potsdam, 
where we were to get out and so all was right, and 
we had the coupe to ourselves. We enjoyed his 
little trick and the men threw up their hats and we 
all gave three cheers for Charlie, as he called him- 
self, and so it was all day, everywhere we had our 
way, or rather Charlie, who seemed to be an all 
around favorite and could work wonders with his 
hand shake and a few whispered words. 

We were told there would be crowds out there 
but he was able to get us in ahead of them all 
through the keeper, who was his friend, and it was 
so arranged that when we were going through a 
room the party outside had to wait until we had 
gone to the next. We thoroughly enjoyed sight- 
seeing on that day. 

First we went through the Town Palace, which 
contains many relics of Frederick the Great. One 
of the many was his working desk, which showed 
signs of using, as well as the sofa in back, from 
which he could, by glancing into a large mirror at 
the side, see what was going on in the street. The 
celebrated Petition Elm is opposite this room and 
when any felt themselves wronged and could not 
obtain the desired redress, a last resort was, to take 
the petition to the tree, holding it high in the air and 
Frederick seeing it, would look to the case himself. 
If the request was just he received satisfaction, but 



38 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

if on the other hand a flaw was discovered, — woe to 
the complainant. 

In a room in this palace we saw the bed where 
Napoleon slept, and also the room where Queen 
Wilhelmina slumbered when on a visit. 

Queen Louise's rooms were very interesting" 
and contained work done by her, which was ex- 
quisite. The bed was also shown to us where this 
noble woman breathed her last. It is impossible to 
explain the details of Sanssouci, and I am only not- 
ing a few things. 

The Crown Prince's Palace is also out there 
and as we passed we saw the flag waving from the 
top announcing his presence in the Palace. 

Our next visit was to the Garrison Church and 
although it was late we stole in and sat on the 
last bench hearing a little of the service. After 
church we stationed ourselves at the side-door, from 
which the soldiers made their exit, and formed into 
regiments before leaving the place. This was inter- 
esting to witness and many a fine specimen of man- 
hood was among them. 

At the Mausoleum we saw the tomb of Fred- 
erick and his father, but its interior is not as im- 
pressive as at Charlottenburg which is much larger, 
and where a soft purplish light falls down on the 
marble figures beneath, making them look strangely 
real. One is only allowed to speak in a whisper 



BELGIUM, HOLLAND AND GERMANY. 39 

in this place, which, I forgot to mention, we had 
visited the day before. 

At lunch, which we took in a Cafe garden near 
by, our guide again made his influence felt. It was 
against the rules to put two tables together, and he 
was just in the act of doing this, when a waiter 
came rushing up, forbidding it. "Nur ruhig" he 
replied, and kept on, while the waiter angrily went 
away without taking our order. Charlie, however, 
unabashed at this went off and returned with the 
head waiter, who laughingly took our order. He 
was another of Charlie's friends. 

Returning to the palace we saw more interest- 
ing things among which were Voltaire's room and 
several of Madam Pompadour's clocks, which were 
beautiful and costly. When Frederick the Great 
began to tire of Voltaire he planned this room dur- 
ing his absence. Voltaire was a vain man, hence 
he had a complete outfit of toilet accessories made, 
but all, shaving cup, brush, etc. in minature form. 
And the walls were decorated with strutting pea- 
cocks. Voltaire was a very homely man despite his 
extreme vanity and Frederick personated him 
through monkeys, in fact the whole room repre- 
sented his character, which was anything but praise- 
worthy, and when he returned and saw this room 
he felt that he had fallen from grace and departed. 
The Spider Room was another interesting 



40 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 



feature. It contains a spider's web and spider 
painted on the ceiling in the middle of the room. 
The story connected with this runs as follows : 
Frederick the Great was fond of his cup of chocolate 
in the morning, and had sent for it as usual. Now, 
there had been a conspiracy against his life and it 
was arranged that the cook should mix a strong 
and deadly poison in his cup. When it was brought 
to him and he was about to put the cup to his lips, 
a spider from above dropped down into it. Dis- 
gusted he poured the chocolate into a saucer for 
his favorite dog, of which he was very fond, and 
sent for a second cup. The dog licked the chocolate 
and without a moan lay dead. Frederick, how- 
ever, thought him asleep and impatiently paced the 
floor. Meanwhile a servant had appeared in the 
kitchen demanding a second cup. "What !" cried 
the cook, "if Frederick drank the first, he will never 
need the second," but when assured that he was alive 
and waiting, the cook hurriedly took his flight. 
While this was taking place Frederick was bending 
over what he thought was his sleeping dog, but 
soon saw that life was extinct. Going to the empty 
cup he now saw a peculiar substance in it. He 
immediately surmised all, realizing in what danger 
his life had been, and in memory of this had the 
room painted in the manner before mentioned. 

The private dining-room was also interesting. 



BELGIUM, HOLLAND AND GERMANY. 41 

It was here that, when he wished no servants around 
him, or when he held important secret meetings 
concerning the affairs of state, the table was set and 
all the necessities were sent up from the kitchen on a 
dumb-waiter. 

This peculiar man died in a chair by a window 
with one of his favorite dogs on either side, and 
these his last moments are immortalized in marble, 
a wonderful piece of work. It gives one a strange 
feeling to look at this face bending forward and 
staring ahead with death agony written on the feat- 
ures, and his dogs looking up at him uneasily. 

From this we went to the New Palace which 
is magnificent. I will only note the Shell Room, 
as it is called, which must be seen to be appreciated. 
The walls and ceilings are made up of beautiful 
shells forming all kinds of figures, and between 
these is a countless number of precious stones. The 
whole room reminded me of an enchanted chamber 
in a fairy-tale. Of the two hundred rooms of this 
palace the Shell Room alone is worth the visit. 

After going through the palaces we proceeded 
to the Garden and Orangery, which is adorned with 
statuary. In this were the trophies which the 
Germans captured from the Chinese. The garden 
with the famous Sanssouci Fountains aroused our 
enthusiasm and we regretted very much not being 
able to spend more time in it. 



42 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

The historical Old Mill, which is just outside 
the garden, is very picturesque, and marks another 
event in the life of Frederick. 

He was quite musical and among other in- 
struments played the flute. The room in which he 
was wont to play was on the side nearest the mill 
and its rattle and noise disturbed him very much, 
and he ordered the mill closed. The miller, how- 
ever, a very determined man, took no heed to this, 
and when he was called before Frederick, who 
threatened to take the mill away from him, he re- 
plied, "Your Majesty has no right to do this and if 
it happens I shall summon your own law to my aid." 

This answer both surprised and pleased Fred- 
erick, who admired bravery, and the miller was 
rewarded accordingly and to this day, descendants 
of the miller's family are living in it and as long as 
the generation exists it is not to go out of their 
hands. 

After this most interesting day we returned to 
Berlin thoroughly satisfied with our trip, and hardly 
tired, but found time to take an evening walk in the 
beautiful Thiergarten, which is a park two miles long 
with many ponds and groves of large trees. 

Next day after lunch we started for Dresden 
three hours distant. This is a pretty place and the 
favorite abode of Americans. While here we went 
through the Museum and the celebrated Green 



BELGIUM, HOLLAND AND GERMANY. 43 

Vault, in which are many precious diamonds and 
stones of enormous wealth. The Royal Palace was 
also visited. 

The picture gallery, supposed to be the finest 
in Germany contains the Sistine Madonna and other 
celebrated works. In one room we saw the "Choco- 
late Lady" as our guide called it, which represents 
the Quaker Lady so widely advertised on Baker's 
cocoa and chocolate. 

The following day we left Dresden for Vienna 
and after a beautiful ride arrived there by night. 



CHAPTER III. 
VIENNA AND ITALY. 



It was here that we encountered our first day of 
rain, since the beginning of the tour from 
Liverpool, for when we arose next day it was 
to a leaden sky and the incessant thud of rain drops 
which continued all that day and the next as if to 
make up for all the lovely days before. 

We persevered in our sight-seeing however, 
but did not see this beautiful city to advantage, as 
the weather threw a damper on us. Our means of 
conveyance was a German tallyho, with the lower 
seats protected, the top ones very preferable in nice 
weather. Even in the rain some of the girls climbed 
up and everywhere we appeared the people stared 
at us open mouthed, and a little old woman was 
almost run over, she seemed so petrified with aston- 
ishment. 

We stopped at the Imperial Vault, where lie the 
coffins of Maria Theresia, Maria Louise, Maximilian 
of Mexico, and proceeded through the palace in 
which we saw the apartments of Maria Theresia. 

The riding school and the Royal Stables were 



VIENNA AND ITALY. 45 

interesting. In these stables are six hundred and 
sixteen horses and over three hundred and twenty 
carriages. 

I could understand the men's enthusiasm over 
the horses, for I, myself, derived much pleasure 
from looking at the beautiful animals, some of which 
were of the purest white. 

A pussy had made itself a bed on a mound of 
hay thrown before one of the horses and was blink- 
ing at us from under his very nose, which he did 
not seem to mind, however. 

From here we rode to Schonbrunn, a splendid 
Imperial residence, the summer abode of the Em- 
peror. It is here that Napoleon had his head- 
quarters, and where his son died. 

Beautiful gardens, fountains, statuary and 
flowers adorn the place. The tall trees had been 
cut straight down on the side facing the avenue, 
while the other side of the same trees were left in 
natural growth. This formed a singular effect and 
gave the appearance of an immense green wall. 

The prettiest places, however, looked dull on 
this day, for it was still raining furiously, and as 
no carriages were allowed we viewed the garden on 
foot, but the umbrellas over us and the necessary 
attention to the puddles at our feet kept our eyes 
from the pretty things. 



46 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

We parted that night with the hope for more 
agreeable weather next day, but the morning dawned 
and still the same monotonous patter continued 
against the windows. The others went out but I 
stayed back to meet my cousin who arrived at the 
hotel at the appointed time and we spent the day 
together as best we could, even braving the rain. 
When he left me in the evening I felt that my visit 
to Vienna had not altogether gone "zu Wasser", as 
the German expresses a failure. 

Next day (O, tantalizing fate) was the most 
beautiful of days. We were leaving Vienna to 
travel all day in the train, where rain is sometimes 
quite useful to keep down the soot, but on this oc- 
casion the scenery was so grand that we were glad 
of the favorable weather. In our enthusiasm, we 
could not remain seated, but lined up along the win- 
dows calling and exclaiming. 

When, after passing picturesque bridges, we 
would reach the top of a mountain and look at the 
immeasurable depth below, with the bridges we had 
passed and the valleys beneath, we could hardly find 
words to express the grandeur of it all. 

In the evening we changed cars at the frontier 
and had our baggage examined, passing through 
what we at first thought a rigid examination of the 
Customs. They ordered us out of the train with 
all our baggage, and when we at last staggered into 



VIENNA AND ITALY. 47 



the examination room, which was closely guarded, 
we were surrounded by officers, who kept shouting 
as if in a terrible rage and made us think that our 
very souls would be searched, when suddenly we 
received a chalk mark on our belongings, some with- 
out even having opened their baggage, and were 
dismissed without further ceremony. We came to 
enjoy these inspections, especially as we, being a 
party, usually pulled through admirably. Our guide 
always told us to fall back and let him ahead, and 
he would then produce his satchel, which was inno- 
cent of souvenirs or other smuggled goods, and his 
trunk also which he tried to have on top of ours, 
and, when mentioning us, as his party, we were al- 
ways allowed to go without further examination. 

After this we boarded our train and passed into 
Italy, when the scenery changed somewhat but was 
still beautiful, and later on the moon rose red and 
large. 

Oh, it was a most beautiful night when we ar- 
rived at Venice at eleven o'clock. As usual we were 
tormenting our guide with eager questions, especial- 
ly about the gondolas, and he assured us very earn- 
estly that the bus would be at the station to convey 
us to the hotel in the usual manner and amused him- 
self immensely at my especially disappointed face, 
but when we went through the station to the other 
side — there ! we saw Venice aflame with light, and 



48 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

a half dozen gondolas in waiting, with their steers- 
men all talking at once and in an excited manner. 

It was Queen Marguerite's birthday and our 
guide had prepared a pleasant surprise, for we were 
to see the illumination before we turned in at the 
hotel. We were charmed with the brilliancy of it. 
The music issued mainly from a pavilion, a verit- 
able bower of light on the water, and as the strains 
of Tannhauser came to us we thought they were 
never so impressive before. As our hotel was not 
far distant the music even afterward lulled us to 
sleep. 

Next morning our chief aim was to see what 
we could of Venice without the aid of a gondola, 
which we did starting from the back of our hotel, 
(the front was a water way,) walking along the 
pavements and crossing bridges, until we reached 
St. Mark's Square, which is surrounded by palaces 
suggesting past grandeur, and St. Mark's Church. 

It is a picturesque center of Venetian life, es- 
pecially at evening when the bands play and people 
crowd there by the thousands. During the day the 
pigeons reign. These have been fed here daily for 
seven hundred years. They are so tame that one 
is in danger of stepping on them, and if you buy 
corn for a few centimes and display it, they fly on 
your shoulders, head and hands in their endeavor to 
secure it. 



VIENNA AND ITALY. 49 

In the afternoon we had a delightful ride in a 
little yacht to Lido and Torcello, which has a won- 
derful seventh century cathedral that looks from the 
outside like an old ruin, but is famous for the 
mosaics it contains. 

Lido is a pretty sea shore resort and we amused 
ourselves watching the bathers. 

In the evening everyone went gondola riding. 
Oh, never to be forgotten night ! The moon rose 
full over the dome of the beautiful church Maria de 
la Salute and its reflection on the water mingled 
with the surrounding lights. This, together with 
the delightful music and singing which prevailed 
everywhere, made the night most enchanting, but it 
came to an end at last and the next morning dawned 
as fair as the foregoing. 

Our first visiting place on this day was the 
beautiful Doge's Palace, in which we saw the Gold- 
en Staircase, also the Giant Staircase where the 
Doges were crowned. It was here that we saw the 
secret room of the police with its door leading to 
the Bridge of Sighs which connects the palace with 
the chief prison in Venice and over which the pris- 
oners were brought. It has a double passage and it 
is said, that when prisoners were brought through 
this passage they never returned but knew their 
doom and consequently its silent grim walls heard 
many a sigh and groan. This is also in close con- 

4 



50 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 



nection with the room where prisoners were tor- 
tured. 

The Hall of the Council of Ten is the largest 
room in the palace with the portraits of the Doges 
and a number of old historical pictures and Tintor- 
etto's Paradise. If I have not noted wrongly there 
are two-thousand heads in this picture, and it took 
eleven months to finish it. 

From this room we stepped out on the balcony 
to enjoy a view of Venice, and were shown a place 
between the arches where a Doge was crowned and 
a short while after beheaded in the same place. 
From here we also saw before us the sight of the 
Campanile. 

Next we visited the dark prisons and saw the 
cell occupied by Lord Byron twenty-four hours. 
There were low dungeons where the prisoners were 
deprived even of light and where the executions 
took place. Sometimes they were starved, or left 
to be drowned by the tide which rises and falls 
about Venice and their bodies given to the gondo- 
liers through a hole in the wall. 

The Church of St. Mark near by was next visit- 
ed, which is a magnificent piece of Venetian archi- 
tecture built in the form of a Greek cross. Our at- 
tention was attracted to the floor, which is quite 
uneven and sunken here and there caused by the 
tide which has twice flooded the place. 



VIENNA AND ITALY. 5 1 

The Altar behind the Tomb of St. Mark the 
Apostle has four alabaster columns, two of which 
are said to have belonged to Solomon's Temple. 
They are beautiful and transparent, and we all 
stepped up to see the light through them. 

The next church we entered was the Maria de 
la Salute, which is often conspicuous in pictures of 
Venice, and has many statues and paintings, ad- 
joining Patriarchal Seminary with rich library and 
pictures. 

From here we jumped into our gondolas once 
more and made for the hotel passing under the Rialto 
Bridge. By this time it was evening, but after par- 
taking of our meal none seemed tired enough to stay 
in, but soon all the "Cookies" (as we had named 
ourselves) did not stay in the pantry, but could all 
be found afloat again in the watery streets of Venice. 

We did not forget to festoon the stores either 
before leaving and did it so thoroughly on this occa- 
sion that we almost knew the contents of certain 
windows Dy heart and in each doorway was "a 
spider glibly inviting us flies to enter" and charging 
great prices for their ware. 

The last beautiful morning dawned on Venice 
and we had our farewell gondola ride to the station. 
On our way we met huckstering gondolas, grocery 
wagons, I meant to say grocery gondolas, laden with 
provisions and at one house they were moving, and 



52 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

all kinds of household furnishings were being carried 
down into one. 

The well-to-do families of Venice have their 
own private equipments and mostly two gondoliers 
becomingly arrayed in white suits and broad- 
brimmed hats with blue or red bands and a sash of 
the same color around their waist and tied at the 
side. Some of these fellows looked decidedly grace- 
ful and very clean, which is a rather unusual feat- 
ure with Italians. 

After successfully avoiding two collisions in 
in which the gondoliers exchanged a few pet names 
and engaged in a heated argument as to who turned 
in the wrong direction, we finally arrived at the 
station and climbed the broad stairs with a last long- 
look over our shoulder. 

The day became quite warm and at Bologna we 
changed cars and arrived at Florence at half past 
six o'clock in the evening. Our hotel was on the 
Arno River and my window afforded full view of 
the stream. It was at one time a palace of a Medici, 
which explained the arrangement of some of the 
rooms and the presence of antechambers. 

Next morning after breakfast found us all col- 
lected in the hall ready for our days work. The 
first place on the list was the Palace, a tall massive 
building. The court-yard contains some dainty work 
including: a fountain in the center with the figure of 



VIENNA AND ITALY. 53 



a boy and a vase which is much admired. The Uffizi 
and Pitti Galleries, part of the palace contain vast art 
collections and which I won't begin to describe. 

We proceeded to the Church of the Holy Cross 
an imposing basilica, in which are the tombs of 
Galileo, Michael Angelo and other great men. The 
walls had been whitewashed for four centuries, but 
by a peculiar process have been uncovered and dis- 
play some valuable paintings beneath. 

The Cathedral Maria del Fiori is one of the 
grandest Gothic churches in Europe. The dome is 
higher than that of St. Peter's, and may be ascended. 
The interior contains much of art. The Bell Tower 
is another marvelous piece of work,and in the chapel 
is a tomb of Countess Moltke, a niece of the great 
General. At the Baptistery we saw the celebrated 
bronze doors, after which we went through the 
chapel of St. Lorenzo, belonging to the Medici 
family, and in the Sacristy, which is new, are An- 
gelo's "Twilight", "Dawn", "Day" and "Night" 
over the tombs of the Medici. 

In the afternoon we went driving in the park 
and stopped at the Marble Works to watch the 
artists in their occupation and viewed the most ex- 
quisite stone productions heretofore seen. 

We left next day for Rome arriving at two 
P. M. Here we visited the Vatican. Our attention 
was first attracted to the singular uniform of the 



54 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

Swiss Guards. We ascended the splendid staircase 
which on festive occasions is often decorated and 
entered the Sistine Chapel viewing the magnificent 
ceiling frescoed by Michael Angelo. 

In the picture gallery we viewed more wonderful 
paintings. From a window we saw the Alban Hills 
and the walls of the Vatican. These grounds cover 
an area of three miles. We also saw Hadrian's 
Castle of St. Angelo. Last of all we viewed the 
gardens of the Vatican, where the Pope used to 
promenade. 

In the afternoon we visited St. John's Lateran, 
the Pope's Church. In close connection with it is a 
monastery court of the Thirteenth Century which is 
very beautiful and starts one to dreaming of the times 
ages ago when sombre looking monks might have 
been seen walking in the garden chanting their 
prayers. 

Not far from here we viewed an Egyptian 
obelisk which is so old, our guide told us, that Moses 
might have looked upon it as a boy. In the church 
was shown to us a white marble sarcophagus with 
a black lion, the place where the Pope would be 
buried, should he die. At the time we were in 
Rome, he was lingering between life and death, and 
died before we left. 

The Church of St. Croce stands among lonely 
fields and dates from the Fourth Century. In this 



VIENNA AND ITALY. 55 

is the Holy Staircase which Luther ascended on his 
knees. It is said to be much worn, and is now 
covered. A man, woman, and child were crawling 
up step by step engaged in devotion, but could not 
refrain from casting backward glances of curiosity 
at us. 

From here we proceeded to the Baths of Cara- 
calla, driving along the celebrated Appian Way, 
from which place we had a fine view of the aque- 
ducts, and the Alban Mountains. These Baths still 
show remains of their ancient vastness and mag- 
nificence. They accommodated sixteen hundred 
bathers. The walls of the rooms were said to have 
been porphyry and alabaster. Parts of the mosaic 
floors still exist. As we stood around our learned 
guide, listening to his tale of bygone splendour which 
once reigned in the vast ruins, some one remarked, 
that in those days the Romans believed in washing 
themselves, which is more than they do now. 

We picked beautiful wild flowers and maiden 
hair fern among the ruins and scared up an owl 
which had made its abode in a dark corner of the 
wall. Before the roof fell in, a hermit had dwelled 
at this silent spot. 

From here we again entered our carriages and 
after a delightful drive passed through the beautiful 
Arch of Constantine, and alighted in fair view of 
the Colosseum. It is a magnificent ruin, — one-third 



56 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 



of it still standing, — and of the portion taken away 
many palaces have been built. It was the scene of 
terrible bloodshed. Ten thousand men and five 
thousand beasts were slain at its inauguration, and 
it is here that countless fights of gladiators took 
place, and the Christians were thrown to the lions. 

Our excellent guide made the scene so graphic 
that we almost imagined we could see the gladiators 
and lions emerging from their apartments under- 
neath the stage. To view these gigantic ruins by 
moonlight makes the place become alive with past 
memories. 

After this pleasing day followed a second. We 
visited the Forum. What an interesting morning 
we spent among these ruins, many thousands of 
years old. It is impossible for me to describe this 
place, so I will just mention a few interesting facts. 

We were shown the place where Julius Caesar 
spoke to the people and the foundation of the temple 
of Caesar, where Mark Anthony delivered his 
funeral oration. 

From a high elevation we looked down on the 
Arch of Titus and the remains of the House of the 
Vestal Virgins, an abode of nuns, and also the 
House of Cicero. 

We saw the place where Caligula was mur- 
dered and also where Julius Caesar's life was taken. 

Further on was the house of Germanicus, and 



VIENNA AND ITALY. 57 

the Temple of Victory iooo B. C, and the palace 
where Agrippina received her guests, and Nero 
played as a child. 

Some of the terra cotta pipes which run along 
its walls are said to have been made by women. On 
the walls are still faint remains of exquisite paint- 
ings. 

In the afternoon we visited St. Peters, which 
is built on the site of Nero's Circus, where the Chris- 
tians were persecuted, and St. Peter was martyred. 
An obelisk marks the place. 

St. Peter's Church is six hundred and ninety-six 
feet long and one hundred and fifty-three feet high. 
Imagine such dimensions. When one enters the 
front, the people at the extreme other end look very 
small. Everything is so colossal in this church, but 
it does not appear so at a distance, as the vast ex- 
panse is in keeping with the surroundings. 

The high altar over the tomb of St. Peter is 
approached by marble stairs, and surrounded by 
one hundred and twelve ever burning lamps, which, 
from the entrance look like tiny candle lights. The 
effect is very beautiful. 

The Pope's temporary resting place was shown 
to us, where his body would first be taken. 

The famous bronze statue of St. Peter was also 
viewed. The toe of this statue has been so fre- 



58 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

quently kissed that it has entirely disappeared, and a 
silver cap now covers the place. 

From here we drove to the Pantheon. The 
circular interior is very impressive. It receives its 
light from an opening in the dome, which is twenty- 
eight feet in diameter, and open to all kinds of 
weather. To the observer this opening appears to 
be not more than a few feet in diameter, but the 
great height at which it is placed is deceiving. 

Raphael is buried here, and we also saw the 
temporary resting place of King Humbert, and the 
tomb where King Victor Emmanuel of Italy will lie. 

What I have told you of Rome is very little, for 
it contains so much of interest, and may well be 
called the Eternal City. 

Four of the party, myself included, had planned 
a side trip to Naples and Pompeii and started out 
next day. It was very warm, and after resting at 
the hotel we went to view the excavations. After 
looking at casts of bodies which were shown in just 
the position they had been found, we went up to 
Pompeii, and spent a few very interesting hours 
among its ruins. 

The walls are one and a half miles around, with 
eight gates. The streets are paved with lava blocks, 
and have stepping stones and foundations at the 
corners. The concrete lower stories of the houses 
are still preserved, but the other stories were burned. 



VIENNA AND I TALY. 59 

We viewed the vast amphitheatre, which seated 
20,000, in fact we saw all there was to see, but which 
I could not describe in detail. 

Perhaps many of you have looked through the 
Pompeian Room at Centennial Hall, Fairmount 
Park. The pictures of the excavations on the right 
hand side are exactly as I saw them, and trod over 
those very stones, and in and out of those ruins. 

It was a very hot day, and little Italian boys 
with buckets of fresh spring water followed and we 
frequently quenched our burning thirst. 

From this place we had a good view of Mt. 
Vesuvius near by, which every now and then emit- 
ted little puffs of smoke. Next day a slight erup- 
tion took place in which sufficient lava flowed out to 
destroy the little watch house on the mountain, but 
without doing further damage. We were sorry that 
it did not happen when we were there, as it must 
have been intensely interesting, of course only as 
long at there was no danger. 

For about the first time, that night after we re- 
turned to Naples, we did not go out, but spent the 
evening on little piazzas which led out from each 
window, and enjoyed an interesting view of the city. 

This place abounds in beggars. At every turn 
they accost you, even following the carriages in 
numbers, until becoming disgusted, you throw a 



60 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

handful of centimes at them, when they fall back, 
and there is a wild scramble. 

On the evening of this day there were bills 
posted everywhere, before which the people stood 
talking excitedly, and those who knew a little Ital- 
ian, thought it looked like the death notice of Pope 
Leo XIII, which was verified later at the hotel. 

There was no unusual excitement, however, and 
we were not prevented from our sightseeing. We 
visited the Museum of Naples next day, and saw 
much of interest, especially of Pompeii. We then 
took our carriages and drove up the hill to the Castle 
of St. Elmo, which is a vast fortress, now used as a 
military prison. Close by is the Monastery of San 
Martino of the 13th Century, in which is a part of 
the National Museum. 

The Cloisters are beautiful. They are sur- 
rounded by white marble columns, and adorned with 
statuary, and the magnificent church is lined with 
choice marbles and mosaics, and contains famous 
paintings. 

As interesting as the morning was, the best was 
yet to come. From a balcony of the Monastery we 
enjoyed an exquisite view of the beautiful bay of 
Naples and surroundings. This alone was worth 
the coming. We were quite lost in admiration. 
Our guide had to pull us away, as it was 
getting late and our train was scheduled to leave 



VIENNA AND ITALY. 6l 



right after luncheon for Rome, where we arrived at 
eight o'clock in the evening. 

At noon next day we left for Pisa, and saw the 
Leaning Tower, climbing to the very top, from 
which point we again enjoyed a magnificent view. 

Near by is the Baptistery, which has a handsome 
font. A baby was just being christened, which 
ceremony we were privileged to witness. 

Afterwards we listened to the wonderful echo 
in the dome, aroused by a man singing, and which 
formed chords like those of a church organ. 

We left Pisa in the afternoon, for Genoa. This 
is a most tantalizing ride. When the first blue 
streak of the beautiful Mediterranean began to ap- 
pear, some cheered loudly, threw up their hats, and 
gave way to their enthusiasm in various ways. Alas, 
we were only to get short glimpses of it, for when 
we came alongside, we rushed out of one tunnel into 
another. Our "Ohs" and "Ahs" had not died from 
our lips before we were again submerged into dark- 
ness. As soon as daylight appeared everyone leaped 
to the windows to make the most of their time. At 
last one of the ladies became disgusted, and winding 
a black silk handkerchief around her head to keep 
out the soot, leaned back, in a corner, and said 
"disturb me no more." 

Dear friends, on that afternoon we passed 
through one hundred and eight tunnels, and when 



62 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

we as last arrived at Genoa, we appeared to belong 
to the Caucasian race no more. Alas, for the ladies 
who had donned their white waists. We were 
getting hardened, however, by this time, and after 
supper we had some music and a cake walk in the 
parlor of the hotel, and felt as chipper as ever. 

Next morning our drive was through the town 
to the cathedral. On the way there one of the 
horses attached to our carriage became unruly; the 
driver fell from his seat, and his feet became en- 
tangled in the reigns, and we jumped from the car- 
riage just as one of the horses tumbled and fell 
breaking the shaft. I was the last of the four to 
jump, and it was very fortunate for the driver and 
me that the horse fell, which prevented a mad runa- 
way, as the other horse had also become frightened. 

After a short delay we entered another carriage 
and reached the cathedral without further excite- 
ment. From here we drove out to the bay and up a 
hill where we viewed Genoa and the beautiful waters 
of the Mediterranean Sea, and arrived at the Campo 
Santo where in long corridors statue upon statue is 
grouped in tribute to the dead. 

We left Genoa in the afternoon, going through 
only ten tunels and arriving at Milan at 7 105 in the 
evening. Our hotel was in full view of the cathe- 
dral second to St. Peter's in size and which we 
visited the following morning. Of this structure 



VIENNA AND ITALY. 63 

the wonderful marble roof alone has two thousand 
life sized statues and when one climbs the five 
hundred steps which lead to the summit and looks 
over these figures amid numerous turrets, steeples 
and buttresses the effect is almost indescribable. 

We too ascended them but long before we had 
reached the last step to the top, a number had fallen 
back declaring they could go no further, but a few 
persevered and we were repaid when we reached 
the top and enjoyed the view before described. The 
city beneath was a toy affair, the people looking like 
penny dolls, and in the distance the snow-clad Alps, 
the Apennines, the Jungfrau and other mountains 
fringed the horizon. We became so interested that 
we forgot all about the others who had already gone 
down, and in our hurry entered a different stairway 
and reached the bottom at the extreme other end of 
the meeting-place. The others had waited, then 
left, thinking we preferred staying up there. They 
had gone on to view the remains of Leonardo da 
Vinci's picture of the Last Supper. The picture is 
in a very old church and has been whitewashed, then 
scraped, and the monks, (stupid fellows,) cut the 
picture to put a door in the wall. The picture is 
crumbling and becoming faint, but still thousands 
come to view it. 

In the evening we went promenading in the 
Victor Emmanuel Gallery, the finest arcade in the 



64 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

world and surrounded by handsome shops, and 
stopped to hear some music well rendered by a ladies 
orchestra. 

We left Milan quite satisfied with it and started 
for Como. There we took a steamer and after a 
most beautiful ride on Lake Como, arrived at Men- 
aggio, our next stopping place, with which we were 
all delighted. Our hotel was only a few feet away 
from the water and we found we had all received a 
room facing the lake. 

I am sure I was never in a more picturesque 
spot. The grand mountains on all sides, dotted here 
and there with villages nestling amid vineyards and 
forests, formed a becoming frame to this charming 
little lake of which the poets delight to sing. 

In the evening tiny fires could be seen burning 
on the mountains opposite in celebration of the day, 
(we were told,) the significance of which I regret 
not to know. 

After a few delightful hours rowing on the lake 
and sitting in the garden, we at last sought rest, 
but not before I had stood long at my window 
charmed with the night. The sky was brilliant with 
stars which seemed also to be in the lake at my feet. 
The base of the big black mountains opposite were 
being lit up every now and then by a search-light 
which went the entire round of the lake, and this 
was done all night. I do not know why, perhaps 



VIENNA AND ITALY. 65 



to watch the lake and shore for anything suspicious, 
at any rate, I awoke once during the night to find 
the mysterious light just flitting across my bed, 
from where I could look over the lake. 

Next morning was Sabbath and a peaceful quiet 
seemed to prevail everywhere, interrupted only by 
the bells which burst forth in melodious peal. 
There was no clamor of city noises or excitement, 
for beside a few pretty hotels, there was only a small 
village and that one quarter of an hour distant, and 
Oh, goodness be praised ! no museums to go through, 
or picture galleries or cathedrals to be visited, for 
we had already seen so many that we felt quite 
crammed and dangerously near a moral dyspepsia. 
Nothing to do but to study nature sitting in the 
garden under the beautiful magnolia trees, in which 
the birds made music, or to row out on the lake and 
watch the shores reflected on its bosom. 

While staying here, an amusing incident oc- 
curred to me. First I would like to note that the 
elevators of Europe are sometimes curious arrange- 
ments and become ridiculous when compared with 
those of America. Often it occurred that those 
going up the stairs reached the top before the ele- 
vators so exceeding slow did some of them work. 
Rarely more than four were allowed in one and 
these were sometimes sent up without an attendant. 



66 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

Quite frequently they became out of order and re- 
fused to work at all. 

On this particular morning- at Menaggio I was 
just about to ascend the stairs when the porter 
beckoned to the little elevator near by. It was 
about comfortably large enough for one person but 
there was also a large one on the place. I stepped 
into the elevator, which was one of the self -going 
kind, while the porter stayed back to watch its 
progress. Halfway between two floors it suddenly 
stopped, refusing to work either way. I heard the 
man fumbling with the ropes and a few minutes 
after saw him rushing to the story above, endeavor- 
ing to start it. There I was, like a caged bird 
and unable to escape my prison, while the porter 
made frequent flying trips from the bottom of the 
stairs to the top muttering and shaking his head. 
At last the naughty little cage began to move up- 
wards and with a sigh of relief I stepped out and 
called to the worried man below that all was right. 

Somehow after that I became fond of the exer- 
cise of stair-climbing rather than be made prisoner 
a second time. 

The weather was still perfect the morning we 
left by electric cars for Lugano, where we changed 
for the train bound for Lucerne. 

The ride from Menaggio was very pretty with 
the lake on one side and the mountains on the other, 



VIENNA AND ITALY. 67 

but after we left Lugano and travelled by way of 
St. Gotthard the scenery became overwhelming. 

Beautiful cascades varied with roaring torrents 
crowned by snowy peaks of inaccessible heights fol- 
lowed by gorges and deep fertile valleys, with pic- 
turesque villages nestling among the shadow of 
rugged mountains and these again tamed down to 
slopes where herds of cattle grazed amid the bright 
green. 

As usual we had our reserved car and were en- 
joying ourselves. The guide was explaining the 
surroundings and whenever he called we all sprang 
up. 

"To this side", he exclaimed, and everybody 
scrambled, and a minute later he would call "now 
quick to the other", at which we leaped in the oppo- 
site direction, for we did not want to miss the least 
of our beautiful surrounding. 

When he turned to us and earnestly remarked, 
"now comes something great, everybody to the right 
and watch", we obeyed full of expectation. 

A minute later we were in a deep black tunnel, 
and our guide sat back laughing, his little trick had 
worked. We had an ample share of tunnels on that 
day, one of which was very long and took over 
fifteen minutes to pass through. 

We arrived at Lucerne in the evening and again 
our hotel was in view of the lake. 



CHAPTER IV. 
SWITZERLAND. 

Iucerne is beautifully situated at the outlet of the 
most lovely lake in Switzerland between the 
■ "" Pilatus and Rigi and facing the Alps. 
Its shops are very attractive, the streets pretty and 
clean, and at night especially along the lake delight- 
ful music greets the ear and the numerous boats on 
the water are lit up with many colored lights. 

One of the principal things to see is Thor- 
waldsen's Lion of Lucerne which represents a dying 
lion cut in the face of a cliff and commemorating 
eight hundred soldiers of the Swiss Guards who 
died in defence of the Tuileries. It is a wonderful 
piece of work and especially impressive at night 
when there is illumination. 

The Glacial Gardens are also interesting and 
show that Lucerne must have been a glacier at one 
time. The huge stones, once twirled around by the 
water, have worn deep holes in the top of a rocky 
glacier. There are also stones there with the im- 
pression of palm leaves and other tropical plants, 
which show that at one time the temperature must 
have been also tropical. 



SWITZERLAND. 69 



After this the "Cookies" all went in a mirror 
maze and found themselves bumping into the glass 
at every turn. The elevator, in which six people, 
by means of looking-glass walls, give back the re- 
flection of a countlesss number, was also tried. In 
the evening some of us went to hear Tyrolean sing- 
ing which was excellent. 

Next day an excursion to the Rigi was made. 
It was a beautiful morning and crowds flocked to 
the boats. We rode across the lake to Vitznau, 
where we took the cars for the top. The scenery 
was beautiful and mountain flowers of every de- 
scription lined the way. 

On arriving at the summit we lunched at the 
hotel after which we hurried out. 

What a sight met our eyes ! We looked down 
into a new world. On all sides were mountains, 
snow-capped and otherwise, until far back, the lakes, 
immovable sheets of deep blue and green, with the 
ships on them looking like water-bugs, the houses 
as if you could hold a couple in your hands, and the 
distant villages only a succession of tiny dots. 

We saw the land-slide where in 1806 a hundred 
houses were swept into the sea. 

We were not long to enjoy the view however, 
a heavy cloud settled below enveloping all. It also 
began to rain and we fled to the hotel, but it soon 
passed over. As the time for leaving came we 



JO MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

sauntered to the waiting platform where a little ex- 
citement occurred. When the car came along, a 
man ran to meet it and jumped on which was against 
the rules. Immediately a sturdy conductor caught 
hold of him ordering him off. He angrily refused 
to do so and a tussle ensued. By this time the car 
had stopped but the fellow was promptly arrested 
and had to pay a heavy fine. It is not likely that 
the remembrance of the Rigi will awaken any sweet 
feelings in his bosom. 

Going down we had a beautiful view after we 
emerged from the cloud and arrived at the hotel 
feeling very satisfied with our day's outing. 

It was raining quite hard the morning we left 
Lucerne but when we arrived at the Brunig Pass 
the weather had favorably changed and we saw 
more charming scenery. 

The trees and blossoms were almost within a 
hand's grasp at times and some tried snatching the 
latter from the open window. At one of the sta- 
tions, before ascending the pass, there was a few 
minutes stop and quite a number hurried out. 
There was another Cook's Party on the train much 
larger than ours and many of these had also stepped 
down, when suddenly and without warning the train 
started off. 

Several dozen people rushed forward, then 
stopped and looked at the receding train with wild 



SWITZERLAND. 71 



fright in their eyes, but it was only switching and 
soon returned, thereby rolling an avalanche from the 
hearts of those left back who soon boarded the train 
with happy faces. After reaching the top of the 
mountain we descended towards Meiringen, a beauti- 
ful village encompassed by high snow-capped 
mountains abounding in romantic waterfalls and 
cascades. 

From there we proceeded by railway to Brienz 
and then by steamer to Interlaken passing the Gies- 
bach Waterfall. 

Interlaken is another fascinating place, beauti- 
fully situated in a glen between two lakes and a most 
fashionable and popular resort. The promenade 
lined with trees affords pleasant walking and a 
beautiful view of the mountains, especially the 
Jungfrau glistening in perpetual whiteness. 

We enjoyed some excellent music at the Kur- 
saal, then stepped back into the miniature Monte 
Carlo to watch the people gamble during inter- 
mission. 

Among the fashionable people crowding around 
the tables was a little wrinkled old woman, who with 
trembling hand was taking some money from her 
hand-bag and with eager eyes sought a place to 
gamble. 

An excursion was planned for the following 
day to Grindelwald and at the appointed time the 



7 2 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

"Cookies" could be seen with warm wraps, rain 
coats and umbrellas, anxiously studying the sky 
which looked rather heavy. 

First we passed along an even road through 
tiny villages, with the neatest little Swiss chalets 
whose window ledges were mostly filled with flower- 
ing plants. At one station little girls were dis- 
playing delicious looking wild strawberries, some of 
which wandered in through the window. 

On we sped past very green meadows tinted 
with wild flowers, and crossed streams in which the 
water seemed to be aboil, fairly bubbling and foam- 
ing over the many stones. 

Soon the road became steeper and the scenery 
round about grew wild-looking and strangely fas- 
cinating. 

The little Swiss houses clinging to the sides of 
immense steep mountains looked very picturesque 
and made one wonder how it could be possible to 
reach them. 

At last we reached Grindelwald and the snow- 
capped mountains began to look very near. We 
had a beautiful drive up the mountain, passing a boy 
with an alp-horn so large that it rested on a founda- 
tion and for a little tip he blew it awakening a 
musical echo to which we listened until the last tone 
died far away among the mountains. 

Presently we approached the celebrated glacier 








The Grindelwald Glacier 



SWITZERLAND. 73 



and after climbing some steps in the ice entered the 
grotto which is cut out of the glacier and is over 
two hundred feet in length and wonderfully beauti- 
ful. A silvery blue light casts a peculiar radiance 
on all around and although there was a lively patter 
of drops overhead, (it being July,) our umbrellas 
came down in a hurry and as we viewed the beauti- 
ful blue around and above us, the little drops seemed 
to take aim and jumped down right into our up- 
turned eyes and wonder-opened mouths. At the end 
of the passage was a flickering candle light, or else 
we might have walked into the wall becoming so 
absorbed in looking. 

After emerging from the cave we looked at the 
mountain of perpetual ice above it, while our con- 
ductor was telling us of a tale the villagers tell each 
other, how a young man once climbed the glacier 
and never returned. They say it takes twenty 
years for a glacier to reach the bottom of a mountain 
and the young man's sweetheart waited all these 
years until one day she, old with years and grief, 
beheld his body, still as young and handsome as the 
day he perished, which was due to the fact that it 
had been imbedded in the ice and preserved by the 
intense cold. 

This tale did not sound at all improbable to us 
on that day, for was it not July and were we not 
standing amid snow and ice while not so many yards 



74 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 



away the trees were green and wild flowers grew 
around in profusion ? 

After having satisfied our eyes we turned back, 
lingering on our way to gather flowers and to watch 
the noisy waters of a mountain stream, as it rushed 
beneath rustic bridges. 

Our carriages were waiting and soon we were 
going down the mountain still enjoying a view of 
the glacier and at Grindelwald scattered for a short 
walk and might have been seen in most every store 
on the main street on the hunt for souvenirs and post 
cards. 

We returned to Interlaken about six in the 
evening full of interest over what we had seen and 
regretted to think that the morrow would be our 
parting day. 

It was a clear fresh morning when we left and 
the Jungfrau was glistening and shimmering in the 
sun-light so that even after we had boarded the train, 
a few could not refrain from stepping off to take 
still another look. 

Our next stopping place was Berne, the 
capital of Switzerland, which we reached after a 
beautiful ride but where, however, we were to spend 
only a few hours. We visited the Bear Pit and 
watched the funny lazy bears, the Kindlifresser 
Fountain, with which the mothers of Berne fright- 



SWITZERLAND. 75 



en their children into obedience, then hastened 
on to see the Clock Tower proclaim the hour. 

This was my last lunch with the tour party as 
I was leaving them for a three weeks' stay with 
relatives in another part of Switzerland after which 
I was booked to join another Cook's Tour for Gen- 
eva and Paris and as the next chapter will treat 
exclusively of my individual experience you will 
pardon me if I refer to myself in the third person. 




CHAPTER V. 

THE JOYS AND SORROWS OF A DE- 
TACHED COOKIE. 

rather down-hearted member of Cook's 
Party she was and the first to break the 
ranks. Somehow lunch passed un- 
usually quiet that day, some one remarking that the 
parting "Cookie" was forcefully reminding them of 
the near and final disbandment of Tour 26, which 
had become like one large family. 

After a last look at the magnificent panorama 
of snowy Alps from the garden of the hotel she 
followed the guide or conductor for the last time 
who was arranging for her leaving and hurried her 
into a hotel bus. 

The other "Cookies" had collected in a little 
party in front of the hotel and were waving their 
hands and handkerchiefs at the receding bus, where 
a lonely Cookie was responding with a sad smile. 

She was to reach her destination, Schaffhausen, 
by evening. Towards the end of the journey, only 
a loving couple remained in the non-smoking com- 
partment with the Cookie, but they were billing and 



JOYS AND SORROWS OF A DETACHED COOKIE. JJ 

cooing as if they alone existed and thought that 
"Die Fremde", opposite them did not understand 
their language. She however understood it all and 
the remarks made about her hotel-checkered suit- 
case and about herself, but turned her smiles outside 
in and seemed to be lost in the view outside. 

At last Schaffhausen was reached and with an 
eager heart the Cookie alighted. She was about 
to descend the steps for the other side when a young 
man came running up and caught hold of her saying 
"This must be cousin Anna." 

She assented and together they went to the 
opposite side where an affectionate greeting took 
place between her and her aunt from whom she had 
been parted for two months. 

Soon they were on their way to the village, an 
hour's drive distant. The road was part way along 
the Rhine and there was a beautiful sunset which 
died while the moon was rising. 

Another aunt and two more cousins were in the 
door-way of the little Swiss chalet when the carriage 
stopped. They were full of expectation but had 
been troubled now and then, wondering whether 
their American relative would be proud, or scorn the 
idea of living in their plain little home. She, how- 
ever ran up and gave them all a kiss and a hug 
after which they felt much better. 

The whole happy party then entered. The 



78 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

first doorway was framed in green and the woods 
near by had been stripped of ivy and ever-green to 
adorn the place. 

Over the middle of the entrance hung a wreath 
encircling the word "Willkommen" and inside on 
every picture and window were branches of fir. 

Upstairs was a veritable little woods of green 
and on a small table in a room which was to be the 
Cookie's, was a bunch of wild flowers of such dainty 
prettiness that made her remark they were fit to 
paint. 

The whole house was scented with such a 
delicious Christmas smell and the Cookie was happy 
and so was everybody else. 

After refreshing herself somewhat, she joined 
the others and all sat down to supper. The room 
with the snowy-curtained windows and the flower- 
ledge outside filled with blooming plants, awakened 
memories in her of days gone by when she had stood 
in that same room rather a small girl on her first 
visit from America. 

It was a novel experience for her to live a 
peasant life for three weeks and she thoroughly 
enjoyed it which made the others happy and rolled 
a stone from their hearts. 

The next day was Sunday. It was a lovely 
fresh morning and the Cookie was preparing to go 
to the little village church where her good kind 



JOYS AND SORROWS OF A DETACHED COOKIE. 79 

father had been christened and confirmed and she 
entered the building with mingled feelings, while 
the three bells overhead were ringing. 

One of the bells was new and being rung for 
the first time and dedication services were held that 
morning. 

In the afternoon an open air festival took place 
in which an account of the history of the church 
was read from a window of the school-house to the 
listeners below. 

The Cookie was suddenly surprised to hear her 
father's name mentioned. He had made the church 
a considerable present some time before his death 
and this was here recorded together with a eulogy 
of him which the speaker ended by saying "We 
all in our thoughts lay a wreath on his grave." 
She was both touched and pleased at this, that she 
should have arrived for a day which seemed al- 
most prepared for her and yet her presence only 
became known afterward when everyone crowded 
around to shake hands with a daughter of the man 
who lived in their memories. 

A few days later she was raking hay in the 
meadows to the astonishment of the surrounding 
people who thought "Die Amerikanerin" too fine 
for such work. She also had a hand in forming 
sheaves of wheat to be bound, but the best of it all 
was the ride home on top of the wagon, watching 



80 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 



a beautiful sunset, or the large August moon hang- 
ing low in the sky. 

There was one fear however, that could mar 
her pleasure and that was of cows. When these 
appeared, she fled in terror quite often clinging to 
the coat-tails of her farmer cousin, screaming, while 
he held his sides with laughter. 

In the evening, when at a certain hour, the 
cattle were led to the well, and came along running 
and jumping at a lively rate, the Cookie would sit 
behind closed doors and could not be persuaded 
into her evening walk until every bouncing cow 
had vanished from the horizon. 

Enjoyable drives were also taken and a 
mountain was visited on foot and the interesting 
ruins were viewed, from the dungeons, which were 
reached by descending a long ladder, to the watch 
tower from where an extensive view was enjoyed. 
Sometimes the people seemed little more than mov- 
ing dots and the trains scurrying through the valley 
beneath, a despatch from midget land. 

The Rheinfalls, not far from Schaffhausen, 
were also visited and the illumination enjoyed from 
the very best point of view, a little castle opposite 
the picturesque falls. The lovely moonlight walks 
home added to the charm of the evening. 

What fun it was, too, to go bathing in the 
Rhine. There was one particular spot from where 



JOYS AND SORROWS OF A DETACHED COOKIE. Ol 

the woods opposite gave back prolonged echoes. 
Whole sentences came back over the water and one 
did not tire of calling. Laughter especially rang 
loud and clear, until it seemed as if a living being 
were in that woods responding in mockery. 

The second week, a trip to Zurich, a pretty 
city was taken and a never to be forgotten evening 
spent rowing on the beautiful lake. 

The Cookie and her aunt left Zurich for Glarus 
and Ennenda, a most romantic region. Never be- 
fore had the mountains seemed so high and only 
the sky directly overhead was perceptible. 

It was a clear starry night and they sat at the 
open window looking up to the indescribable high 
wall of mountains on one side and to the other 
where shone the quiet waters of a beautiful lake. 

The host and his wife were at the station and 
escorted them to their neat little home where, al- 
though they protested and the hour was rather late, 
they were made to partake of a little repast. The 
milk, eggs and butter were deliciously fresh and the 
rich pure honey was from the wild flowers of the 
mountains. 

At last they retired and soon the dead quiet of 
the night had lulled them to peaceful slumber. 

A melodious ringing of bells awoke the Cookie 
next morning and going to the window she saw a 
large number of mountain goats passing by beneath, 

6 



82 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

each with a bell around its neck. This window also 
afforded a magnificent view of the mountains within 
close range, which later in the day, to the disap- 
pointment of all, were enveloped in a mist. 

The morning was spent in an interesting walk, 
but by noon, alas, it rained and still continued when 
the Cookie and her aunt took leave of the good people. 
Had the ride been a continuous one, the rain would 
not have troubled them, but they were obliged to 
change at four different stations to make connec- 
tions and each time the rain beat down without 
mercy but they did not lose heart and consoled them- 
selves with the old German adage "Kein Reisen 
ohne Ungemach." 

While stopping at one of the stations their at- 
tention was attracted by the curious calls outside. 
Almost everyone seemed to be exclaiming "ou ou" 
and looking out to see who did the pinching they 
were amused to see the name of the station which 
consisted of but two letters, Au. 

It was rather late when Schaffhausen was 
reached and it was decided to go on to the station 
nearest to the village and there go to the hotel in- 
stead of hiring a carriage to ride out. In fact they 
they could not secure any as they were told it was 
a dangerous road for horses by night. Then too, 
there was a dark woods to pass and farther on 
across the Rhine was an old convent now used as 



JOYS AND SORROWS OF A DETACHED COO KIE. 83 

an insane asylum and in the dead of the night un- 
earthly cries and shrieks of its mad inmates could 
be heard from over the water. 

Under these circumstances they were quite 
satisfied to stay where they were and start for home 
next morning. 

When they awoke the sun was shining brightly 
and hastily arising they prepared to depart. It was 
Sunday and just as they were descending the steps 
toward the Rhine every bell in the town began to 
ring with a meldious mingling of tones which were 
wonderfully effective. 

How different it was to return on this beauti- 
ful Sabbath morn instead of by night. The birds 
were warbling and everything looked fresh and 
green from the preceding rain. 

The woods were passed which consisted of fir 
trees and not even the bright sun could penetrate 
enough to dispel the darkness within. 

The bells of the town had stopped ringing and 
still there seemed to be an echo of them somewhere 
ahead first faint and hesitating then louder and 
clearer. As they stopped to listen they perceived on 
the other side below the convent a number of cows 
grazing on the green. It was from here where the 
music issued, for as the cows moved about the 
sounds started afresh and the water lent them a pe- 
culiar charm. 



84 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

Each cow had around its neck a large bell which 
responded with every movement and sounded like 
the bells of a little chapel. 

At last home was reached and there it was 
learned that a cousin had been at the preceding 
trains the day before and finding no one, imagined 
his relatives had decided to prolong their stay. 

Two weeks had now been passed and there was 
only one more left. 

The Cookie and the school-master's daughter, 
a very attractive girl, had arranged a little farewell 
concert at her father's home which was in the school- 
building. The daughter played unusually well and 
the duets were first tried with the piano. 

Suddenly it occurred to her that downstairs 
in the school-room of the assistant teacher was one 
of those sweet-toned harmoniums belonging to him. 

"Wait a moment" she said "I will take a peep 
to see if he is gone and then we will go down and 
play "Traumerei" which sounds beautiful on that 
little organ." After a few moments she came back 
smiling and said "the way is clear, he is gone for 
today and will never know the difference." 

The Cookie shouldered her gun, or rather her 
violin and together they descended the stairs. 

They were disappointed to find the harmonium 
locked but the young girl remembered that she had 



JOYS AND SORROWS OF A DETACHED COOKIE. 85 

seen him put the key in the cabinet. This was found 
unlocked and a moment later she was triumphantly 
swinging the key saying, "he need not think he can 
hide anything from me." There was even a violin 
stand near by which the Cookie pulled out and ar- 
ranged her music on it after both had agreed it was 
strong enough to hold iron. 

Everything ready, the music began. The 
sweet tones of the harmonium mingled with the 
strains of the school-master's old violin so well, 
that when the piece was finished the young girl's 
pretty face was beaming with pleasure and clapping 
her hands she exclaimed, "Oh, let us play it again !" 
The Cookie was willing and once more "Traumerei" 
floated on the air. 

About in the middle of the piece the Cookie 
was dimly aware of some one entering the room 
and suddenly stopping. It flashed through her 
mind whether it might be the teacher, but not daring 
to look aside played bravely on, although the notes 
began jumping around and chasing each other. 

When the piece was finished she looked up 
and met the eyes of a young man who was smiling 
down on two culprits. The other girl, her face 
suffused with blushes, began to explain and beg 
pardon but he interrupted. "On the contrary", he 
said, "I wish to apologize for disturbing and beg 
your permission to remain and listen to more music 



86 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

while I do some copying." Both graciously gave 
their consent and the young man evidently enjoyed 
the rehearsal for he listened more than he copied. 

The little concert in the evening came off 
smoothly and the Cookie regretfully wended her 
steps homeward with a farewell look at the old 
church and the school-house. Of course there were 
no electric lights or street lamps to light them home 
but they had a lantern and under cousin Fred's 
guidance, who was also carefully carrying a pot of 
honey of the schoolmaster's bees, they reached home 
safely and the Cookie could not refrain from a 
sigh of relief when they passed the well, to think 
that every cow was in bed. 

At last the farewell day came and soon they 
were steaming away towards Vevey to visit another 
relative before joining a Cook's Party at Geneva. 

Up to this time they had been very much at 
home in the language but already after noon the 
passengers coming in spoke in a strange tongue, 
and they began to feel uneasy among all their 
French surroundings. 

Towards evening the scenery became moun- 
tainous and the beautiful Lake of Geneva appeared, 
its blue waters dotted with a number of white 
specks which afterwards proved to be swans and 
water-birds. 



JOYS AND SORROWS OF A DETACHED COOKIE. 87 

At the station they were at first rather puzzled 
as aunt had not seen her brother for a number of 
years and was not sure of recognizing him. 

She went to the upper end of the platform in 
search when the Cookie espied a gentleman with 
two young girls eyeing her curiously, and she al- 
most felt that it must be her uncle but she started 
for her aunt who was just returning when the man, 
seeing her too, uttered an exclamation of joy and 
folding her in his arms kissed her and also greeted 
his newly found niece. 

All proceeded to the home which was but a 
few steps from the lake. At the door they were 
met by a woman who also kissed them affectionately 
but began speaking in French. 

"Does your wife speak German" inquired the 
Cookie of her uncle, but he shook his head and when 
she asked "non parlevous francaise?" they also 
shook their heads at which she threw up her hands 
in consternation. 

It appeared that the girls had only learned 
their mother-tongue which was something entirely 
unexpected, but what was to be done. All sat down 
to supper laughing in spite of their disappointment. 
It was a learned table at which, German, English, 
French and Italian were spoken, which now and 
then were understood. 



88 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 



Next day it was worse for when uncle had gone 
to work, there was no one to interpret, but even with 
him around there was sometimes a hopeless tangle, 
for to answer women's queries in two different 
languages was no easy task and he quite often be- 
came confused and answered his wife in German, 
while to his German relatives he would earnestly 
explain in French and would not become aware of 
his mistake until everyone was laughing heartily. 

As before mentioned, when he was gone there 
would be other difficulties. The Cookie, going to 
her French aunt would begin, "ma chere tante" then 
go on in German, repeat in English and still un- 
successful call for her other aunt to interpret in 
Italian which sometimes threw a gleam of intelli- 
gence when Auntie French would go away laughing 
and return with the desired article. Before going 
away they were getting along much better and each 
had learned a little of the other's language. 

On the evening of the first day a stroll was 
taken along the lake and a wonderful exhibition of 
tight-rope walking witnessed the like of which they 
had never seen before. 

Among other difficult things done such as 
rope-dancing etc., was walking on a rope suspended 
high in the air, one end of which was fastened to 
the roof of one of the large hotels opposite, and 
the other end almost as high. 



JOYS AND SORROWS OF A DETACHED COOKIE. 89 

Everyone held his breath looking, when quick 
as a flash, the man's feet came down and a cry of 
horror went up from the thousands watching below 
but he was only sitting on the rope and had done 
this purposely but it had the desired effect, for on 
the first instant it looked as if he had made a mis- 
step. 

With indescribable surety he raised himself to 
go on accompanied by a storm of applause. 

The weather, while at Vevey, was all that could 
be desired and little excursions were taken on the 
lake and vicinity. 

Montreux and the interesting Castle of Chil- 
lon, whose dungeons and their illustrious prisoner 
have been immortalized by Byron, were visited, and 
on another day a trip up a mountain among the 
wildest and most romantic scenery. 

There was one member of the family the Cookie 
was yet to see and that was her cousin Ernst. He 
was staying in another city but was coming to see 
his relatives. 

On an afternoon, coming in from a walk, she 
saw a fair-haired young man advance toward her in 
the hall. She took one of his outstretched hands 
inquiring, "Cousin Ernst?" 

He nodded and her next query was "Sprichst 
du Deutsch?" He shook his head, "Italiano?" an- 
other shake, then becoming alarmed, "but you sure- 



90 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

ly speak English?" The answer was again in the 
negative, and she turned away in despair while the 
young man's face was full of regret. 

They were sitting in a room looking at each oth- 
er helplessly, when an idea struck the Cookie. Going 
out she returned with a book of the tour and pic- 
tures of the places she had visited and beckoned 
to him. 

He took a seat beside her and she went on to 
mention the places corresponding with the pictures. 
He became quite interested and when his father 
entered, remarked with shining eyes that his cousin 
had had a grand trip. 

In the evening a walk was arranged, of course 
to the lake and the Cookie saw a sunset of inde- 
scribable beauty. The heavens were tinged a lovely 
pink which imparted their shade to the water, while 
the other half, on turning around, was a beautiful 
blue, and the mountains opposite were of a purplish 
hue. She could only exclaim "how beautiful," 
while her cousin echoed the same in French. 

Later on the moon arose and sitting in a garden 
by the lake she thoroughly enjoyed the evening and 
the walk home. 

Next morning she had a row on the lake whose 
waters looked prettier than ever. She was trying 
to impress on her mind that the strange young man 
opposite was really her cousin and her father's 



JOYS AND SORROWS OF A DETACHED COOKIE. Cjl 

brother's child, yet their only vocabulary consisted 
of little more than a dozen French words she had 
gathered and about as many German words at his 
command. Still they spent an enjoyable morning 
and filled the pauses in conversation by splashing 
water at each other. 

The day was now coming when the Cookie 
again had to take leave to join the party. Her 
aunt was to meet her in Paris ten days later, in the 
meantime staying at Vevey. 

She left this delightful place in company with 
her cousin Ernst and Alice, who accompanied her to 
Lausanne, where she was to take the train for Gen- 
eva. After a walk through the town she was taken 
to the station and kissing her pretty French cousin 
Alice goodbye, followed Ernst into the train, where 
she was made comfortable, then taking her face in 
both hands he looked at her long, then kissed her 
saying "bon voyage, ma chere cousine" and dis- 
appeared looking rather sad. 

She was not feeling very cheerful herself, leav- 
ing the only people she knew in that part of Switzer- 
land and going to meet entire strangers. 

Towards evening Geneva was reached and 
gathering up her belongings she alighted and fol- 
lowed the crowd. 

When she came to where the hotel busses stood 
in waiting she made a careful scrutiny of them and 



92 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

discovered at the end of the line her man, with the 
name of the hotel to which she was going, on his 
cap. 

With a sigh of relief she gave him her baggage 
and climbed in and soon they were in their way to 
the hotel. Here she was shown to her room from 
which she could see Lake Geneva. 

When she afterward went down to dinner it 
was with a little uneasiness as to how she would 
find the people she was to join. 

A waiter directed her to where they were din- 
ing and as she advanced with rather hesitating step, 
she was agreeably surprised in recognizing in the 
conductor, the local guide who had directed their 
sight-seeing in London and from whom they had 
parted regretfully at the time. 

In her joy she hastened to him and taking his 
hand told him how glad she was to see him. He 
then remembered her and introduced her to the 
company who gave her a cordial welcome. 

By this time the Cookie's heart was as light as 
a feather and when after the meal she went out with 
some to look at the stores which were very attract- 
ive she felt as if she had been with them longer. 




CHAPTER VI. 

TOUR THIRTY-FOUR IN GENEVA AND 
PARIS. 

unday morning dawned beautifully in Gen- 
eva and some of us went to the English 
Church which was crowded with tourists. 
On the way out we met the guide, who had also 
been there, and who pointed out a few things of 
interest to us, among others the very spot where 
Empress Elizabeth was assassinated, after stepping 
from the hotel opposite. 

We were to have two days in Geneva but it had 
been decided all agreeing to leave next day so as to 
have one more day in Paris. 

In the afternoon we had a most enjoyable car- 
riage drive through the place visiting the Cathedral 
which is Protestant and in which Calvin preached. 
His chair was shown to us and we all took turns 
sitting in the stiff-backed chair of that worthy 
man. We also saw his grave in the cemetery. 

Next we stopped at the Russian Church, an odd 
structure and looking very new, with some exquisite 
paintings. There was not even a chair or bench, 



94 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

the congregation kneeling during the service. Near 
here is the prison cell of the assassinator of the 
Empress before mentioned. 

It has no windows and not a ray of light pene- 
trates to this wretch of whom it is said he has be- 
come insane. We could not repress a shudder as 
we viewed the gloomy wall. 

Geneva is a very pretty city and has some 
handsome buildings facing the river and the lake. 
The Rhone River whose water is very blue and 
swift divides Geneva in two parts. We saw the 
meeting of the waters, where this river and another, 
the water of which is a muddy looking color unite, 
but it was interesting to note that for some distance 
ahead the colors would not mix but flowed side by 
side a river of blue and gray. 

Later on we had a beautiful view of the mag- 
nificent Mt. Blanc, with its perpetual snow and ice. 

In the evening we took a walk listening to the 
music which prevailed everywhere and wound up 
by stopping in the pretty garden bordering on the 
lake and opposite our hotel, where there was un- 
usually good music, which was still playing after 
we had retired and lulled us into pleasant dreams. 

Next morning there was but one thought occu- 
pying all minds, — going to Paris ! 

Full of expectation we looked forward to ar- 



TOUR THIRTY-FOUR IN GENEVA AND PARIS. 95 



rival there, but a whole day's journey was yet before 
us. 

At first we had reserved compartments and 
agreeably whiled our time away playing games and 
holding comb concerts to which our guide laugh- 
ingly shook his head. 

Later on French people began crowding in 
regardless of our comfort and our rights and this 
became even worse after we had changed at Dijon. 

There was a perfect rush for the train which 
became overcrowded and as our guide could not 
secure a compartment for us we were scattered 
among the others. 

Most of the passengers were French and our 
conductor had trouble in securing seats for us, as 
they did not seem a bit accommodating, which can 
be said of French travel in general. 

Our guide was just returning and taking up my 
suit-case he hurried off telling me to follow. Every 
compartment was practically overcrowded. At last 
we came to one where there seemed a vacant seat. 

Seven Frenchmen occupied the others and with 
these our guide began to parley in French for the 
remaining one. They declared it occupied and 
when he seemed to doubt, the seven began talking 
at once and gesticulating wildly at our guide who 
remained composed. I was standing in the midst 
of them, but taking up my suit-case which was de- 



g6 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

cidedly heavy, I dropped it, (seemingly accidental) 
on the toes of one of the Frenchmen who quickly 
pulled them toward him. Having thus cleared my 
way I walked out telling the guide not to exhort 
with them further as I would not sit with such ex- 
citable fellows. 

Just then a man of our tour came along and 
said "leave this girl to me, I have a seat for her". 

With a sigh of relief I followed him to a com- 
partment where the people willingly made room for 
us and we soon forgot our troubles in interested 
conversation. 

At last supper was served but there were such 
great crowds that ours was not served until nine 
o'clock and when all the tables were occupied the 
doors were locked to keep the others back. 

We were quite glad when we reached Paris, 
but at the station there was more excitement and 
crowding and my companion and I were separated 
from the party which was nowhere to be seen. 
They had been pushed along to the other end of the 
station where they discovered we were missing. 

My benefactor at last put down our baggage 
asking me to stand by it while he went on the hunt. 
He had hardly gone when the Doctor of our party 
came hurriedly along and when I called to him 
seemed relieved. "Where is Mr. K." he asked. 
"Looking for the rest of you", I answered. There 



TOUR THIRTY-FOUR IN GENEVA AND PARIS. 97 

was nothing left to do but go for him and as I 
noted the direction we soon came across him, as the 
station was by this time well cleared. 

When at last we reached the meeting-place all 
were there but the guide who was still looking, but 
he too, was soon found and we filed into the bus 
laughing over the incident. 

It was half past eleven when we arrived at the 
hotel quite tired. There was so much noise and 
bustle in the streets as if in midday and this seemed 
to continue all night, some of us even being forced 
to change our rooms in order to get some sleep. 

What shall I say about Paris? I must confess 
I am not enthusiastic over it and am afraid my de- 
scription will fall flat. 'Tis true, Paris is beautiful 
in a way, the streets for instance and the squares. 

Place de la Concorde marks the spot where 
Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI were beheaded. 

The place which marks the Palace of the 
Tuileries is now a beautiful flower garden and a 
delightful promenade in summer. 

Paris seemed at its best to me when viewed 
from my high seat in our tally-ho sort of conveyance 
which picked us up at the hotel every morning. 
It was decidedly enjoyable to view Paris from a 
safe place out of all that terrible tangle of vehicles, 
busses, automobiles, electric cars etc., for broad as 

7 



0,8 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

the streets were, they were always crowded with the 
aforesaid things. 

There is so much to see in Paris that it bewil- 
ders one and a week is hardly enough to gain a fair 
insight into all that might be interesting, but the 
main things satisfied us. 

Some few of us had allowed ourselves a visit 
to the Opera, which was well worth it, if only for 
the interior. We admired the magnificent stair- 
case of white marble and the promenade around the 
top where the people spend the time between the 
acts walking or looking at Paris from the balconies. 

Paris has a number of triumphal arches, the 
main one being the noble Arch of Triumph. 

Of course we visited Napoleon's tomb and saw 
the inscription from his last will and did not fail to 
visit Notre Dame and the Madeleine, the most 
beautiful edifice in Paris. 

Right behind the Notre Dame is the Morgue in 
which we viewed the bodies of two men resting 
behind a glass partition. They had been found in 
the Seine River which runs through Paris, but did 
not look gruesome as some of us had thought, for 
they were remarkably well preserved. 

Of cemeteries we visited the Pere-la-Chaise and 
viewed the tomb of President Faure and of Heloise 
and Abelard, the monk and nun who broke their 



TOUR THIRTY-FOUR IN GENEVA AND PARIS. 99 

vows for the love of each other. On the day of 
our visit there were flowers in nosegays and wreaths 
fastened on the fence surrounding the place or ly- 
ing inside, and it was told us that it was the custom 
of people suffering from unrequited love to visit 
this place secretly, putting the flowers there. 

In a Jewish cemetery we saw the tombs of 
Rachel and the Rothschilds. 

On a lovely morning we took an excursion to 
Versailles. It was a most delightful drive especially 
through the woods and park of Versailles. 

We went through the palace built by Louis 
XIV and the decorated gardens. The palace con- 
tained much of interest and gave one an idea of 
Louis XIV elaborate notions. 

From the steps in front of the palace one has a 
fine view of the Grand Canal and the Basin of 
Apollo. It was here that Louis XIV gave his 
Venetian festivals, famous in history. 

It is a grand sight to see the fountains play, 
which happens once a month and on Sunday after- 
noons. 

Our excursion took us a whole day and we 
arrived at the hotel in the evening tired but happy. 

The regular programme being over, the gentler 
sex of our party went shopping. The two main 
stores seem to be the Bon Marche and the Louvre 



IOO MY TRIP RO EUROPE. 



Bazaar. The latter was opposite our hotel. The 
celebrated Louvre Picture Gallery which we had 
also gone through was within a square of our abode. 

The stores proved rather a disappointment to 
us, as did various things in Paris. We had ex- 
pected to wander in a perfect wonderland of beauty, 
but at the end of the first evening the girls all agreed 
that the stores were "shoppy looking". We did 
see pretty things at reasonable prices but they were 
not displayed to any advantage. Very few of the 
salespeople understood us which made our shopping 
rather difficult. In no other place in Europe did 
we have such trouble in making ourselves under- 
stood as in Paris. At the hotel the manager, the 
elevator boy and a waiter or two seemed to be the 
only ones who spoke English. 

As for the servants, they were practically use- 
less and would bring the wrong thing every time, 
unless one went to the office and had his wants 
written in French to give to them. 

Our week in Paris was coming to an end. 

During the whole week we had the most perfect 
weather and Sunday morning dawned cheerful 
enough, but in the afternoon the sky became gloomy 
and overcast. Still no one thought it would amount 
to much and a few started out for Versailles to see 
the fountains play. It was not until we had arrived 



TOUR THIRTY-FOUR IN GENEVA AND PARIS. IOI 

out there that it began to rain and kept steadily in- 
creasing until we were obliged to seek shelter. 

There were immense crowds there patiently 
waiting in the rain, which, however, increased to 
such fury that umbrellas were no protection and 
large numbers began to flee for the station. 

We felt as if the fountains were on top of us, 
so heavy was the downpour. The streets looked 
like small rivers while the water from the awnings 
came down in sheets. 

The people in the houses and under shelter 
scoffed and laughed at those given to the mercy of 
the element. Some indeed presented an odd sight 
and many a fluffy airy dress and milliner's dream 
had its last day on this occasion. 

When at last we arrived at the hotel, we were 
drenched entirely and looked as if we had been 
pulled out of the Seine River. 

The remainder of our party were quite uneasy 
about us and felt sincerely sorry for our misfortune 
but once in dry clothes we felt better. 

Next day we left Paris, everyone satisfied to go. 
We travelled via Dieppe and New Haven to London 
and stayed at the same hotel in which we had spent 
our first week on arrival there. 

We enjoyed coming back to it and received de- 
lightful rooms. 



J02 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 



The following day we left for Oxford, visiting 
the University buildings, and proceeded by later 
train to Warwick and Stratford on Avon. There 
we went through Shakespeare's house and visited 
his tomb and memorial. Returning to Warwick, 
we took the train for Chester arriving that night. 

Our parly had by this time dwindled down 
somewhat, a few dropping off at Paris and London 
and we only needed one compartment and had it 
all to ourselves. We again indulged in comb con- 
certs and games and enjoyed ourselves especially 
well the day we travelled towards Chester. 

While playing games I ventured the question 
(trying to appear earnest,) "have any of you ever 
tried starting electricity by holding hands?" "Why 
no, can you?" they all exclaimed interested. 

"I have done it," I replied. "Now all take 
hands and those sitting by the window put one hand 
on the glass." They all complied very unsuspect- 
ingly, all firmly believing in my electrical power. 

Hardly able to look serious any longer I turned 
to the two sitting opposite each other with their 
hands on the window and asked "do you feel the 
pain? (pane). The result was a storm of merri- 
ment. No one had even suspected a joke and de- 
clared it a successful one. 

Towards evening the train became deserted 
looking- and as there was a side hall in our car con- 



I NEVA AND PARIS. 103 

necting the different compartments, we began to 
spread out a little. 

One compartment was transformed into a 
smoker, a second for resting but, alas, both proved a 
failure. Our conductor had hardly settled down 
with his cigar and book and a neat little cap on his 
head, when the tease of our party, a young girl who 
could let no one alone, but whom everybody liked. 
entered and immediately began asking numb 
questions about what she already knew and seemed 
thoroughly delighted when she saw him gr< 
impatient and irritated. 

ie three of us had made ourselves comfort- 
able in the adjoining compartment, with our h 
back against the cushions and our ej es cl< >sed when 
one of the men crouching the floor suddenly 

pounced in our door-way with a regular war-whoop 
and of course we all jumped. 

This called for r< and we followed him 

into the tirsi tment where a boxing match 

took place in which nearly everybody took part. 

When we arriv* hester that nighl 

were quite satisfied with the wind-up of our trip, 
for the followi we were to board the steamer 

for America. 

At the hotel we I an excellent supper 

and a good I est and left by morning train 



104 MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 



for Liverpool where we embarked on the steamer 
for Philadelphia. 

There were only five of the tour going back 
and when the ship began to move, we waved our 
handkerchiefs vigorously at our conductor and one 
of the gentlemen who was returning by a later. 
steamer and was alternately throwing kisses and 
demonstrating his sorrow at parting by wiping his 
eyes and wringing out his handkerchief. 

The voyage was rather a rough one. Already 
the second day the waves dashed over the deck and 
the Ocean was one seething boiling ma; 

Xo one could be on deck, but those few who 
still felt good enough to enjoy most anything, had 
collected at the door-way in the hall to watch the 
Ocean which was strangely fascinating. 

Suddenly and unexpected a large wave thun- 
dered over the deck and part of it in the door on the 
little observant crowd. There was an immediate 
scramble but row number one was completely 
drenched and there was nothing left to do but to 
change apparel. Then this door, the only one that 
had been left open, was also closed and we had to be 
satisfied looking through the port-holes. 

Sometimes the ship rocked frightfully. Then 
the dishes would jump and upset, despite the fact 
that they were "fenced in" and people would sud- 



' THIRTY- FOUR IN GENEVA AND PARIS. IO5 



denly come running along at a frantic pace, demure 
young maidens rush into strange men's arms, unable 
to hold themselves, and people at the top of the 
stairs would come to the bottom in a great hurry. 

The people on deck, if their chairs were not 
securely tied, would start on a sliding expedition 
and get tangled with those pacing the deck, and the 
old ship, regardless of it all would keep on bobbing. 

It became an acrobatic -feat for those occupying 
an upper berth to reach their cradles at night and 
descend in safety in the morning, and until one was 
dressed ! With every roll of the boat a forced trip 
had to be taken across the room and those weakened 
by sea-sickness were simply thrown in a heap. 

The humorous side of all this appealed very 
much to those well and feeling good but there were 
a great many the other way who dreaded each in- 
crease of the breeze. 

We also had frequent heavy fogs and the horn 
would sound especially dismal at night with the 
wind howling in the rigging and flapping the canvas, 
while the sleepers were thrown from side to side 
in their berths and the whole ship creaked. 

But there came a fine day and we had a few of 
them, too, when dear old Philadelphia loomed into 
view and welcomed the home-comers with great 
joy, only Uncle Sam came along with a puckered 



IOb MY TRIP TO EUROPE. 

brow saying "Howdye, what have you brought from 
over the pond ? Open up and let's have some of the 
percentage," but those who had not overstepped the 
bounds he graciously dismissed. 

And now, dear reader, I have but little more 
to say. If I have tired you with this wandering 
account, I crave your pardon, if on the other hand 
you have derived even a little pleasure from it I 
feel repaid for my work and as a parting word for 
the land which stands out above all other lands and 
is the best and only place to come back to, I bid you 
farewell with a wave of the flag and 

THREE CHEERS 

FOR 

AMERICA ! ! ! 



INDEX. 

Chapter I. 

Departure and Arrival. England 5 

Chapter II. 

Belgium, Holland, and Germany 23 

Chapter III. 

Vienna and Italy 44 

Chapter IV. 

Switzerland 68 

Chapter V. 

The Joys and Sorrows of a Detached Cookie 76 

' I \PTER VI. 

Thirty-four in Geneva and Paris 93 

ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Westminster Abbey, London 13 

The Historic Mill, Potsdam 43 

The Rialto, Venice 50 

Grand Hotel, Menaggio 65 

The Grindelwald Glacier 72 

The Promenade, Vevey 87 



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